Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, KJ Martin, one “first round” Draft (protected) in 2026, one “first round” Draft (unprotected) in 2028, two “second rounds” Draft, one “swap” » (pick exchange) in 2029. This is what Daryl Morey got from the Clippers in exchange for James Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev.
Either expiring contracts which will allow Philadelphia to have salary margin next summer (or to set up other exchanges at the “trade deadline”…) and above all two “first round” Drafts.
One last essential point because the president of the Sixers seems to be looking for an impact guard/winger (Zach LaVine? OG Anunoby?) in the short term and the two draft choices in the first round are an essential basis for negotiation.
“We set a target in June when James asked for a transfer and we said, ‘If we can get that, that’s what we should generally get a player from.’ he explains like this to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The fact that a player like Jrue (Holiday) was traded (to Boston) for something similar (two first-rounders plus Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams) kind of validated that idea. So we set this goal and everything fell into place when the Clippers accepted it. »
According to insider Vincent Goodwill, Daryl Morey would however have been pushed by his managers to part ways with James Harden, even if he hoped to recover more, before things got too bad in Philadelphia.
“As far as the owners are concerned, I can only speak from my point of view. And I don’t know to what extent they were involved.”refutes Daryl Morey. “We were always clear, constantly keeping them informed, and we made recommendations to them for trades, and then they approved them. So it was a very standard exchange from that point of view. »
As for whether his relationship with James Harden can one day be repaired, Daryl Morey wants to be patient.
“Time heals many things. He wanted to be traded and he got what he wanted. Honestly, he chose to handle things a certain way, and I wouldn’t have done it that way. He might think the same thing about us, that we should have acted faster or whatever. But hey, he’s a great player and he’s going to do great things for the Clippers. PJ (Tucker) too. I’m glad they’re both in the West.”
