When a star player leaves a team, things can get a little awkward in the dressing room. But that was not the case for James Harden when his tenure with the LA Clippers came to an end.
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The Clippers front desk, the team management, and Harden knew this separation was coming. So in the days leading up to the trade deadline, things were as normal as they could get. All except the small fact that coach Ty Lue was teasing the former MVP about being weird, which was, in all possibility, a friendly jibe.
The era that started with the now-controversial trade of Kawhi Leonard in 2019 was essentially coming to an end. And the surge that the Clippers have been on since Christmas Day could probably be a case of terminal lucidity.
However, all said and done, this was probably the most peaceful trade Harden has ever been a part of in his illustrious career. And the 11-time NBA All-Star fondly looked back at his time in Los Angeles, reflecting on the impact he had on the organization.
“My job is to go out there and be a leader, be helpful, be encouraging to not only players, but staff members,” Harden said, after his move to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“We’re human. Just an opportunity to bond with people, understand what they go through in their lives, who they are as people, their family, their kids … that’s what this is about,” he added, before clearing the air on comments that he was desperately looking to move away from the Clippers.
“People from the outside looking [at] it, ‘Oh, James gets traded and is making jokes,’ in reality, we all live a real life, and we all got jobs to do. I feel like I did my job in the sense of leaving an impact,” Harden continued.
“Maybe it’s one individual, maybe it’s a whole organization. Basketball is one thing. You try to win a championship, [but] it’s only one team that wins a championship. But you still can be a really good person to people. Because you never know who’s having a bad day. You never know what stamp you can leave on somebody’s day or life. It was real love for me,” he explained.
James Harden on his impact on the Clippers organization:
“That’s all I can do. My job is to go out there and be a leader, be helpful, be encouraging to not only players, but staff members. We’re human. Just an opportunity to bond with people… That’s what it’s about. People from… pic.twitter.com/7vprBuUZFW
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 8, 2026
Harden also refuted allegations of things having turned sour behind the scenes. He asserted that there was more than one way to break off a relationship without disrespecting each other.
“That’s why I can respect Steve [Ballmer] and L [Leonard] and T-Lue [Ty Lue] because they didn’t put me in a weird position as much as everybody tried to make it like that,” said Harden.
The former MVP also noted that leaving the Clippers would allow them a chance to rebuild a championship team and add some draft capital, too. The Clippers will now look to build a team around Leonard, who has promised to hold the fort until Darius Garland returns from injury to join them.
