Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with James Harden, the team’s former star point guard.
Basic Information
Height: 6’5
Weight: 220 pounds
Position: Point Guard
Age: 36
Years in NBA: 17
Key Regular Season Stats (for Clippers): 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 3.7 turnovers in 35.4 minutes per game across 44 games played (all starts) on 41.9/34.7/90.1 (8.8 3PA, 8.5 FTA) shooting splits (59.8 True Shooting)
Expectations
Expectations for James Harden were quite high coming off a jubilant 2025 campaign that marked a return to form for the 11-time All Star, as Harden not only earned his first All-Star nod since 2022, but also received All-NBA team recognition for the first time since 2020 and even got down-ballot MVP votes. With the additions of Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, John Collins, and Brook Lopez, the Clippers seemed primed to both give Harden additional ballhandling support as well as provide extra tools for him to make magic happen on the offensive end as the Clippers’ primary creator. The idea was for Harden to play fewer minutes and probably compile less gaudy on-paper stats, but to be more efficient and have more gas left in the tank for a postseason run. Despite Harden’s advancing age, not much consideration was given to an age-related decline due to the strength of his 2025 season.
Reality
As discussed through the exit interviews completed so far, almost none of that went according to plan. The guards that were expected to give Harden a breather – Paul, Beal, Bogdan Bogdanovic – were all either injured, ineffective, or both, forcing Harden into playing the same number of minutes with a higher usage rate compared to his 2025 season. Despite the taxing load, Harden remained largely excellent on the court, combining his playmaking brilliance with a much higher scoring average and his usual superb efficiency to keep the Clippers at least competitive during their disastrous first third of the season. Harden’s November, in particular, was insane, as he scored 29.8 points per game with 6.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists for good measure on exception 62.6% True Shooting. The team was losing, and Harden’s defense and turnovers were a part of that, but it was a heroic effort by Harden despite the team’s woes around him. With the Clippers in collapse, trade rumors started to swirl around the team’s core pieces, including Harden.
Harden’s numbers trickled down in December and January, but that had less to do with his declining play and more due to the Clippers getting healthier and better around him, with Kawhi Leonard in particular handling more of the scoring as the Clippers started to get into a groove. The Clippers began pushing into the postseason picture once more, and trade rumors gradually died down.
Then, all of a sudden, trade rumors revved up again seemingly out of nowhere, with the Cavaliers linked heavily to Harden at the end of January. Harden sat the next couple of games as the Clippers and Cavaliers negotiated, with the trade being consummated in early February just before the trade deadline. The Harden trade came as a shock to fans, who were starting to enjoy Clippers’ basketball again and were hoping for another run to the postseason in a shaky Western Conference. Reporting on the situation was mixed, with some outlets indicating a Harden trade request, others suggesting the Clippers initiated trade talks, and third opinions that the trade was a mutual discussion.
Regardless of why the trade happened, initial analysis from basically everyone was that it was a good move from all involved. The Clippers got significantly younger to help pivot to a post-Kawhi future, the Cavs got better and healthier this season for a playoff push, and Harden got to go to a team with postseason aspirations that might be more likely to pay him than the Clippers. And, honestly, it’s mostly played out that way. The Clippers faltered a bit down the stretch and Garland was inconsistent, but it’s undeniable that the Clippers have a brighter future now with him than they would have with Harden. The Cavs are in a competitive second round series, and despite his foibles, Harden is a big part of that.
Future with Clippers
It is unlikely James Harden has any future with the Clippers. While the Hall of Fame guard and the Clips parted on relatively good terms, the break up was mutual and made sense: the Clippers now have a much younger point guard in his prime as their centerpiece in Darius Garland, and Harden can go somewhere to either get paid or contend for a championship in ways the Clippers can’t offer. With Harden nearing the end of his career and the Clippers moving into a different phase of their franchise, the possibility of a reunion is pretty low. It’s not impossible – there’s a world where Harden returns in a few years as a bench guard if the Clippers are contenders again by that time – but feels unlikely. Harden spent less than three years with the Clippers, but he made a lot of fans in Los Angeles and was a true presence for the team in a way they’ve rarely had. I’m still rooting for him.