Speaking to Paul Pierce on the KG Certified podcast, Kevin Garnett decided to unpack the details of the James Harden trade between the LA Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers. Harden joins a star-studded cast in LA, alongside the likes of Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook. With PJ Tucker also included in the trade, Garnett seemed to believe that the Clippers are now one of the teams to look out for in the West
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Outlining the kind of talent that the Clippers already possessed, KG claimed they now have stars who will be only too willing to play alongside each other. He seems to believe that Tyron Lue’s side is finally capable of dominating in the West, now that they have a bunch of talented guys who all hail from the same area in California. Garnett also pointed out that the Clippers are basically made up of the NBA stars who play in the Drew League every year, which is a Pro-Am tournament held in California during summer.
“They got the whole Drew summer league joint…These guys [the Clippers] play with each other. That’s why I am saying, it’s so West man, they so West,” Garnett said, before joking that he would be looking to invite a range of musicians to perform at the half-time show if he owned the Clippers.
He believed that the LA Clippers now not only have all the tools they need to ball out, but they will also be entertaining to watch. “Listen, if I am [Clippers’ owner Steve] Balmer , I am booking Ice Cube at halftime, Dub C, Snoop… it’s a whole, it’s West,” KG added.
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While Garnett clearly has a point, the league has a range of teams perfectly capable of outperforming those that have the bigger stars. Harden, at his best, is bound to make the LA Clippers better. However, a lot might also depend on the Clippers superstars’ ability to stay fit for the majority of the campaign and work effectively in tandem.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce cannot believe how James Harden got traded to the LA Clippers
Both KG and Pierce seemed utterly surprised with the ease at which Harden was able to maneuver a move to the LA Clippers. KG joked that Harden’s agent was probably Michael Jordan, as he was the first player the former Celtic has ever seen getting any trade that he demanded.
Harden is bound to result in a bit of a shakedown for the LA Clippers, who might need changes in the way they play. However, in Russ, PG, Kawhi, and Harden, they have four high-IQ players who can be expected to figure things out in due time.
While there is the obvious risk of a lack of chemistry, the potential upside of things working out is huge. Harden had only recently claimed that rather than being a systems player, he was a system in himself. While his unique skillset means the rest of the cast can surely benefit from his presence, what it translates to with respect to the team remains to be seen.
