The Los Angeles Clippers are willing to play the waiting game in the James Harden sweepstakes, as the latest reports are suggesting. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers will not increase their offer for the Philadelphia 76ers superstar.
Harden has requested a trade to LA and the Clippers appeared to be the only viable destination for the veteran star. According to Woj (via RealGM), the LA franchise is seeing itself as the only bidder for Harden at the moment.
Woj says the Clippers would like to get a trade done for James Harden "sooner, rather than later". He added that LA doesn't want to increase their offer, given they are the only team bidding.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) October 8, 2023
On the other side, the Sixers are willing to hold on Harden’s expiring deal deep into the season, and they are not in a hurry to trade him away. Harden was among the Sixers’ top performers last season, but he was unable to help his team get past the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs.
The Philadelphia 76ers intention is to remain a title contender this year, so they believe that “if he’s committed to playing, he’s better than anyone the team could acquire in a trade”. Harden was not available for the team’s first preseason game Sunday night against the Boston Celtics.
The Clippers obviously believe that the Sixers’ superstar will automatically make them a top-tier NBA title contender, it remains to be seen if their waiting strategy for Harden will pay off going into the season.
