The LA Clippers' move to acquire Bradley Beal in July was made possible in large part due to none other than James Harden. When we remember that Harden took a bit of a pay cut with his latest extension with the franchise last month, it becomes easy to connect the dots and see how that indirectly led to the Clippers having the ability to bring on Beal.
Lawrence Frank recently spoke about just how proactive Harden was when it came to recruiting Beal to LA. "When word was out that Brad may get a buyout and we were allowed to talk to Brad, James was the first one, well let me call him," Frank said. "And willing to do anything. So, all James cares about is winning."
This of course tells true Clippers fans what they already know. Harden, despite some outside narratives that may still follow him at times, is truly all about winning. He knew what kind of opportunity was in front of him, and he wasted no time in going after it, knowing that it was something that if he pulled it off would give LA a higher ceiling next season.
Harden's careful planning allowed for the team to bring on Beal
There's of course the financial side of this situation too, which Harden also carefully evaluated and made preparations for. When James accepted his extension with the Clippers in July, he made sure too do it at a price point of $81.5 million over two years. That's a considerable payday for sure, but it's not the maximum he could have taken.
Frank expressed his gratitude for Harden's decision. "So, without James, we can't even get Brad, because we wouldn't have use of the full MLE," the Clippers' team President stated. "So that allowed us to get Brook [Lopez] and Brad because of the way James structured his contract. Two, the way he's structured his contract in year two gives us flexibility that if we want to have max space, we can choose to do so."
Once again, James Harden is all about the team and not himself. That's typical of the unselfish star, and it's exactly the kind of mentality needed for the Clippers in this era where seasoned veterans are everywhere and big contracts can be handed out left and right. When fans in LA start feeling excited about the season that's to come, they can be thankful that Harden's selfless approach played a big part in allowing this roster to take shape.