Shams Charania of ESPN just broke the biggest expected offseason news for the Clippers, which was James Harden opting out of his $36.3M player option for next season and re-signing with the team. The only question was what size contract Harden would receive, and the answer is a 2 year, $81.5M deal with the second year a partially guaranteed player option.

This deal makes a ton of sense for both sides. Harden got a raise of over $4M for next season and gets at least a partial security blanket for the following season as a reward for his mostly excellent 2025 campaign. The Clippers keep the floor-raising Harden for another season with Kawhi Leonard while giving them the option of moving on from Harden next summer or of having a clean cap sheet in the summer of 2027, when Harden and Leonard’s deals will expire. Considering how good Harden was in the 2025 season, this deal seems like a fair upgrade while enabling the Clippers to have some flexibility with team building. I predicted a 2/85 deal back in my Harden exit interview, so this is even more team friendly than I thought.

Harden will slot back in as the Clippers’ starting point guard, with Leonard locked in as a starting forward and Ivica Zubac as the lead center. That means the rest of free agency will be figuring out if the Clippers make any notable changes to the other two starting spots, whether bringing in a starting guard to replace Norm Powell or Kris Dunn, or a larger forward to enable Kawhi to slide back from power forward to small forward.

Having Harden on the team also just about guarantees that there won’t be a Kawhi trade (not really rumored, but at least mentioned by names as large as the Ringer’s Zach Lowe). This deal aligning Harden with Kawhi sure seems to indicate that the Clippers will be “going for it” to some extent in 2026 with this version of the team. The question is how much of the surrounding roster shifts around them.

Considering how skeptical I was of the Harden trade all the way back in fall 2023, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the Harden experience as a Clipper. Yes, there have been ups and downs, with a few rough playoff games. But the Clippers would not have sniffed the 2025 playoffs without Harden, and he’s mostly been enjoyable to watch play basketball.

The first major step of the Clippers’ 2025 offseason has locked into place. Let’s see where the Clips go from here.

Clippers Re-Sign James Harden to Two-Year Deal
Robert Flom

After taking back home court advantage from the Dallas Mavericks in an instant classic Game 4, the Clippers are back in Los Angeles for Game 5, hoping to take a 3-2 advantage in the series.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: TNT, Bally Sports SoCal, AM 570

Tickets: For great deals on Clippers tickets, check out Barry’s Tickets!

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: James Harden – Terance Mann – Paul George – Amir Coffey  – Ivica Zubac

Mavericks: Kyrie Irving – Luka Doncic – Derrick Jones Jr. – PJ Washington – Dereck Lively II

Injuries

Clippers: Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee)

Mavericks: Luka Doncic Probable (Knee), Tim Hardaway Jr. Out (Ankle), Daniel Gafford Questionable (Back), Olivier Maxence-Prosper Out (Ankle)

Notes

Kawhi’s Health: Before Game 4, when Lawrence Frank noted that Kawhi was out for the game, he said that the team wouldn’t put a timetable on Kawhi’s return and that the Clippers’ star wouldn’t be back until “he can make all the movements that he needs to make.” So there’s a good chance that Kawhi is not coming back during this series. And even if he does try to will himself back, is that actually the best thing for the team? The Clippers have found success without Kawhi on the court, thanks to the heroics of James Harden and Paul George. For any real championship run, the Clippers will need a healthy Kawhi Leonard. And so getting past the first round without him, giving him that time to heal, is probably their only realistic path.

The Mavs’ Next Chess Move: What cards do the Mavericks have up their sleeve? Our instincts tell us that surely a Luka master-class is coming, but if his knee continues to be an issue, maybe it’s not such a guarantee. And we’ve already seen one Kyrie explosion in game 4. But what else can Jason Kidd get out of this Dallas roster? The Mavs had been best going small, but in Game 4 James Harden repeatedly carved up the smaller lineup with short floaters that he’s been practicing, a shot which Jason Kidd appears comfortable to let him continue to take. So do they go big again? It hasn’t been working when they have, largely because neither Gafford nor Lively can pull Zubac away from the paint, and both have been doormats for Big Zu in the post. Right now the pressure is all on Dallas to adjust because they can’t just assume Kyrie will be able to produce another Steph Curry impression, and Luka is already doing all he can.

Luka’s Knee: Luka’s listed as probable for Game 5, which isn’t surprising, but his sprained knee clearly isn’t 100%. He’s been a step slow offensively, and he’s got limited lift on his usually terrifying step-back three ball, shooting just 26.5% from three in the series (and 17.4% in Games 3 and 4). That said, “struggling” Luka is still averaging 29-10-9 and is still incredibly dangerous inside 15 feet. The Clippers can’t let his health disarm them, but they’d also be fools to ignore it. The game plan should continue to be to attack him at the point-of-attack with playmakers who will keep him working hard on both ends.

Following Up Game 4: Game 4 was probably the most entertaining game of these 2024 playoffs. The shot-making was off the charts, the System was in full effect, and everyone had their turns shining. In the final minutes Kyrie Irving and Paul George each took the lead from one another with two of the most insanely difficult shots of the year. But despite coughing up the 31-point lead, the Clippers still have plenty of momentum after holding on to Game 4. And we know Paul George loves his Game 5’s, so we can expect a similar level of swagger. If he can be as decisive as he was in the first half of Game 4, if Harden can continue to pick his defenders wisely, and if the Clippers can stay the course with their mostly-effective Luka strategy, they have a good shot.

Disclaimer: 213Hoops may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this post.

Clippers vs. Mavs Game 5 Preview: Protecting Home Court
Erik Olsgaard

Per Sam Amick and Shams Charania of the Athletic, the Clippers are still actively pursuing a James Harden trade with the Sixers. There are a bunch of nuggets in the piece, so I recommend reading it in full, but here are the three most important notes.

First, “And the Clippers, league sources say, are going to great lengths to make it (a Harden trade) happen”. This is legitimate news, as there hasn’t been much talk about a Harden trade in months, and there’s been some thought that with training camp having started, the Clippers might move into the season with the team they have now. That does not seem to be the case – great lengths is strong verbiage, and the “are going” makes their interest a current, ongoing matter.

Second, Amick and Shams, for the first time, seemingly pin down the Clippers offer to this point. They state that in July, the Clippers offered an unprotected first round pick (likely 2028), a pick swap, and salaries. The assumption would be they haven’t offered much different than that since then. No other information was given on salaries, but I’d guess they were a mix of the Clippers’ expiring contracts. The information was also given that the Sixers want multiple picks and “value” Terance Mann.

Lastly, “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.” That’s interesting. The Clippers have first round swaps available in 2027 and 2029, and considering how far out those are and how old the Clippers are, those have a lot of value. The Clippers could very well flip a swap for an actual, concrete first round pick (though likely not a good one), or a heap of second round picks, or even a player that Morey might value.

This was not reported in the piece, but it’s also possible the Clippers could flip their young guys for picks. I don’t know if any of Bones Hyland, Kobe Brown, or Brandon Boston Jr. have first-round value (I’d be surprised if they did), but a haul of seconds or further swaps could be obtained maybe.

In terms of timing, this could be spurred on by three things. One, Dame and Jrue are gone, so the Clippers’ options for a star upgrade are dwindling. Second, training camp has begun, and it’s best to make big deals early in the season so you can integrate new pieces. Finally, I wonder if the Clippers, with camp having started, have realized they’re in a similar place to last season, where they have too many guys. The Clippers have at least 12 if not more rotation players and simply can’t play them all – and that’s not counting young guys like Brandon Boston Jr or Kobe Brown, who they want to play. A consolidation trade is really, really needed.

For those who want a Harden deal done, this is promising news. I can’t imagine the Clippers will actually need to trade both of their firsts and Terance Mann (I would be shocked if they did, and I would absolutely not do that), but it does seem like they could conjure up another first or two from other teams, package that with their 2028 first, and get a strong enough package.

We will just have to wait and see. Give your thoughts below.

Clippers still Engaged on Harden Trade per Amick
Robert Flom

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Philadelphia Sixers have ended trade talks involving James Harden, and are committed to bringing him to training camp. The Sixers and Clippers had discussions on Harden, but no deal was even close to imminent, and now the discussions have apparently closed entirely (for now).

That’s not to say this is over. In Wojnarowski’s tweet chain, he states that Harden has been emphatic about demanding a trade, and there’s no reporting that he’s now all of a sudden fine with returning to Philly. The Sixers are gambling that his friendship with key players on the team and not wanting to set what might remain of his career earnings on fire by holding out or sabotaging another situation will keep him in line. They could bet correctly, but history says Harden will not be happy, and will not be giving his all in Philly, to some extent or another.

The Clippers, apparently, were not willing to budge much on the trade package for Harden. I’m curious to see what the demarcations were. At some points, there was reporting they weren’t willing to offer Norman Powell, which to me is absolutely ludicrous. Were they not willing to offer Terance Mann? Not willing to send over even a lottery protected first? Or was Philly demanding two firsts and Mann and not budging from that insane request? Hopefully we get a bit more clarity into what some of the discussions were.

As for the Clippers, I don’t think they’re done yet even with Harden off the table. Both Marcus Morris and Robert Covington have expressed dissatisfaction, and it really doesn’t make any sense to have both of them on the roster next season along with Nic Batum and Kenyon Martin Jr. My guess is at least one if not both of them is gone, whether by trade or even a stretch and waive. Outside of that, Jason Preston’s situation is still up in the air, but that’s very minor.

If no other big trade materializes, this is likely more or less the roster we will see come training camp. How do you all feel about this?

Sixers End Harden Trade Talks Per Woj
Robert Flom