Great lengths and short patience

The Clippers are reportedly working to make a James Harden trade a reality. How patient can Philadelphia be?

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

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Soldier at a Game of Chess; Jean Metzinger; 1915

What the hell was going on in the NBA from mid-July through September? All that time, Damian Lillard and James Harden — two All-NBA caliber veteran guards with outstanding trade requests — sat on the market with seemingly no action around them, and barely any credible rumors. Then the Blazers got bees in their bonnets in late September, opening up a real market for Lillard, leading to a domino-effect trade sending Jrue Holiday to the Celtics. That series of events swung the favor of two top-tier title contenders.

Now, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports that the L.A. Clippers, six weeks after Harden called Sixers GM Daryl Morey a liar in front of fans and media in an appearance in China, are going to “great lengths” to land The Beard.

But beyond the money matters, league sources say Harden also is taking part because he remains hopeful that a trade to the Clippers is still in the works and believes, for now, that it would be wise to not be a distraction. And the Clippers, league sources say, are going to great lengths to make it happen.

League sources say the Clippers have been talking to several teams about ways to move pick swaps for additional draft capital with the intention of bolstering their offer and getting a deal done.

According to Amick, L.A. has offered a pick, a pick swap and salaries. Philadelphia reportedly wants multiple outright picks and Terance Mann. The Clippers are pick light and so apparently working to get access to more picks via trade. But the Clippers’ cupboards aren’t exactly stocked full, especially since the Sixers want Mann, which precludes L.A. from using him to get more assets to give Philadelphia for Harden.

One presumes that Morey wants picks to a) flip for more help for Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey or b) hedge against a potential Embiid trade request if this season really goes sideways. More on that in a moment.

Harden is now practicing with the Sixers after sitting out media day and the first day of training camp in Colorado. He seems to be not really participating in off-court team activities — Amick reports that he’s staying at the team hotel but skipped a team dinner with Deion Sanders. He’s not necessarily being anything like he was when he engineered a trade from the Rockets, where he showed up late, out-of-shape and, to put it bluntly, draggin’ ass. All reports from camp indicate Harden’s in-shape and not trying to make the team uncomfortable.

I suppose that’s a relief — that Harden isn’t in open sabotage, and that he’s present, that he’s fit. Everyone speaking to the media says this is not a distraction. I take them at their word. But it’s weird, right? The dude said he would never be a part of an organization with Daryl Morey, who runs basketball operations for this organization. Everyone knows Morey is trying to trade him but holding out for a better package. Everyone knows Harden doesn’t want to be here. Many of the players may have come to terms with that and might have convinced themselves they’ll (individually) be better off without him.