During the offseason, Los Angeles Clippers star guard James Harden declined his $36.3 million player option to re-sign on a two-year, $81.5 million contract. The second year of Harden’s deal is a player option and is partially guaranteed, according to Spotrac.
“He’s our No. 1 priority,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of Harden in June. “We’re super hopeful that James is here, and he’s here for a long time. … He can opt out, and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides.”
James Harden Could Ask For A Trade
Harden, 36, could request an in-season trade amid controversies and the Clippers’ disappointing start to their campaign. The team has gone just 5-16 and has lost 14 of its past 16 games, including five straight.
The losses are taking a toll on the 17-year veteran.
“The situation here is difficult,” Harden said recently. “We’re not making shots offensively. Defensively, we just allow game-plan mistakes, we allow that to happen too many times, so that’s one of the reasons why we lose games.”
Nothing has gone right for L.A. since NBA insider Pablo Torre’s bombshell report in September about Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers, and Aspiration, a former team sponsor that filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.
Leonard reportedly signed a $28 million endorsement deal for Aspiration, but the six-time All-Star allegedly didn’t do any work for the company, leading to speculation that the agreement was just a route for Leonard to earn additional money on top of his NBA salary that would have helped Los Angeles circumvent the salary cap.
The Clippers also lost Bradley Beal to a season-ending hip injury in early November. Then early Wednesday morning, Chris Paul was released more than a week after he announced this season would be his last.
All of these events are culminating in the inevitable breakup of the Leonard-Harden duo.
Kawhi Leonard Trade Might Not Happen
The question is, who will the Clippers trade first? That’s an easy one based on Leonard’s injury history and ridiculous contract. Harden is the more reliable player, despite his age.
Injuries have derailed Leonard’s career ever since the two-time NBA Finals MVP joined the Clippers in 2019. He missed the entire 2021-22 season while recovering from a right knee injury and missed the first 34 games last season due to lingering issues with the same knee.
It should be noted that Leonard is also earning $50 million this season and is slated to make $50.3 million in 2026-27. No team will risk trading for the star forward for one other reason: the NBA’s active investigation.
If the NBA voids Leonard’s contract and strips the Clippers of his Bird Rights, teams won’t have to trade for the 34-year-old. He would eventually hit the market as a free agent.
But all of that could take months to unfold.
Meanwhile, if Harden wants out, several teams would be interested in the 2017-18 NBA MVP.
He earned All-NBA Third-Team honors last season after averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists in 79 appearances with L.A.
In the Clippers’ 123-115 home win over the Detroit Pistons on March 5, he recorded a season-high 50 points on 14-of-24 (58.3%) shooting from the floor and 6-for-13 (46.2%) from 3-point territory.
Through 20 games (all starts) this season, Harden is averaging 26.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 35.1 minutes per contest while shooting 43.5% from the field and 36.9% from deep.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5.
