Two days from the NBA trade deadline, rumors are growing by the day as almost every franchise in the league seems to be mulling a possible transaction before the window closes.
In the past 24 hours, the name with the most buzz alongside Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is Los Angeles Clippers veteran and 11-time All-Star James Harden.
Although the Clippers have been on one of the best runs of form in the league over the past month, thanks to ironman Harden, the Los Angeles club has issues heading into the offseason.
They are one of the oldest teams in the league, and even more worringly, almost all of their future picks are in the hands of the reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
With a bleak future ahead, the Clippers need to decide on their aging stars, and Harden might be the central piece moved at the deadline to give them a glimmer of hope as they look ahead to the next decade.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as the frontrunner for Harden, with Darius Garland expected to be the key piece moving to the Clippers. But a simple trade does not appear to be in the cards, as Harden has one big demand if he is traded at the deadline to a new team.
He wants an extension.
Harden was not given the security he wanted from the Clippers last season, and ESPN’s lead NBA insider, Charania, stated on Tuesday that the bearded wonder has no interest in moving to another franchise if they don’t intend to extend him this summer.
The Clippers, who are desperately trying to piece together some kind of future, most likely won’t give him that long-term extension he’s hoping for. Cleveland, making any move they can to put them over the hump and win the Eastern Conference, could pull the trigger to try to win during a season when their strongest rivals have been hamstrung by significant injuries.
The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. ET.
Newsweek