"He will quit": Skip Bayless labels James Harden trade to Clippers as team's 'worst Halloween nightmare'
James Harden has successfully forced the Philadelphia 76ers to trade him to the LA Clippers. After a nasty offseason where he called Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey a liar, Harden will now play for his hometown team. Morey sent Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev to LA for Nic Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, KJ Martin and multiple draft picks.
The basketball world will be waiting to see who won the trade between the 76ers and the Clippers. Skip Bayless, on “Undisputed,” had already given his verdict on the blockbuster deal:
(0:24 mark)
“In honor of Halloween, the Clippers just fell into the worst nightmare they’ve ever been. They have lived in nightmares for years and years here in the shadow of the Lakers in Los Angeles. … Tonight, if you wanna dress up as somebody who will scare people, dress up as James Harden.
“He is now in his fourth team in 22 months. He has quit his way out of three teams and I do not doubt that at some point fairly soon he will quit his way out of his hometown.
James Harden’s history of forcing trades is well-documented. Morey traded for Harden from OKC in the summer of 2012. It was with the Houston Rockets that he became an MVP and a superstar. When Morey left the Rockets, he promptly forced his way out.
The Rockets traded him to the Brooklyn Nets where Harden formed a deadly trio alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. It didn’t take long for the three-time scoring champ to again find a way out. Morey, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, bailed him out by sending the beleaguered Ben Simmons to Brooklyn.
After two seasons in Philly, James Harden ended up calling Daryl Morey “a liar” in front of fans in China. He vowed never to play for a team that employs the executive.
In the end, the 76ers gave in and sent the wantaway point guard to his preferred destination. He’s now in LA to form a deadly core alongside Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Skip Bayless predicts the partnership between Russell Westbrook and James Harden will be an “unmitigated” disaster
Skip Bayless is not a fan of Russell Westbrook’s game. He infamously called the player “Westbrick” on numerous occasions. No one has arguably been harsher with “Brodie” than the longtime sports analyst.
With James Harden going to reform a partnership with Westbrook in LA, Bayless seems to have figured out the result:
(2:25 mark)
“You’re combining, lethally, the highest turnovers with the poorest three-point shooter and a James Harden who will disappear in big moments, the worst in anybody we have ever seen. … It will not work. It will be an unmitigated disaster.”
Harden and Westbrook’s partnership did not work in Oklahoma and wilted in Houston. It remains to be seen if they can prove Skip Bayless wrong now that they’re with the LA Clippers.