James Harden reportedly wants to reunite with Russell Westbrook.
James Harden then left to become his own man with the Houston Rockets. Eventually, Westbrook found himself suiting up for the Rockets, ultimately reuniting with his old teammate in 2019. Having that in mind, it’s no surprise that Harden wants a do-over. Given how Westbrook took a huge pay cut, the LA Clippers could possibly acquire Harden via a trade.
In Houston, James Harden and Russell Westbrook made a solid pairing but it wasn’t long before Westbrook was sent packing to the Washington Wizards. In their lone season together, Russ and James got Houston to the second round of the playoffs before they lost to the Clippers in a five game series.
Nobody thought the two would ever reunite as teammates, but here in 2023, it looks like there’s a good chance that could be what happens. This time, it will be on the Clippers, which is a team that Harden has long admired. Apparently, Harden’s desire to play there only increased after they re-signed Russ, and the two have been reported to be ‘very close.’
“For what it’s worth, I’ve been told that James Harden’s desire to be traded to the Clippers was made even stronger once they officially re-signed Russell Westbrook. The two are still very close, and Harden wants to play with Russ again,” wrote Clippers beat writer Joey Linn.
Westbrook helped transform the Clippers last season, who were kind of trudging along with no real identity. With Russ, they were able to play faster and looser, which no doubt helped inspire their late-season push.
During the 2019-20 NBA season, the unthinkable happened. Russell Westbrook was no longer with the OKC Thunder and found himself playing together with his old teammate James Harden for the Houston Rockets. Considering how both were MVP-caliber players at the time, a lot of hype surrounded their surprising reunion.
Of course, injuries got the best of LAC in the end, but the loss wasn’t Westbrook’s fault and it seems he earned a permanent role on the team after his efforts to lead them without Kawhi and Paul George in the 2023 playoffs.
Will Harden Land With The Clippers?
At the moment, only the Clips have been identified as Harden’s preferred team which means that the Sixers have very little leverage in the situation. But it’s no secret that James is at odds with the team and, specifically, team President Daryl Morey for how they handled his free agency.
