76ers, Clippers Ownership Interjected to Get James Harden Trade Finalized, per Report
It appears the higher-ups for both teams decided it was time to hammer out a deal.
The 76ers and Clippers came to terms on a trade to send James Harden to Los Angeles seemingly out of nowhere on Tuesday morning at roughly 2 a.m. ET. And if it felt as though the deal was abrupt and a bit random, that may have had something to do with how the whole thing reportedly finally came together.
Philadelphia and Los Angeles owners Josh Harris and Steve Ballmer apparently got on a call Monday to "iron out the trade" that would eventually send Harden to the Clippers, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
On a critical call Monday that helped iron out the 76ers-Clippers James Harden blockbuster after four months of negotiations: pic.twitter.com/uGTeCWlWMb
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 31, 2023
The deal had been negotiated by the two team presidents, Daryl Morey and Lawrence Frank, for the past few months, but as Charania details, this signaled there was a "sign-off" by ownership on both sides.
The reported deal agreed upon will send Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev to Los Angeles in exchange for Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, KJ Martin, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-rounders and a pick swap, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
It was also reported that the 76ers would acquire an additional first-round pick from a third team, which Wojnarowski later revealed was the Thunder, who will send a 2026 protected first-round pick to Philly.