Los Angeles Clippers' president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank still believes in James Harden. He made that clear when he spoke to the media a few days after LA's Game 7 120-100 loss to the Nuggets, where Harden shot 2-of-8 from the field for seven points in 35 minutes.
Frank told the media that he hasn't thought about Harden not playing for the Clippers (subscription required) in 2025-26. The guard has a $36.3 million player option for next season that he'll decide on this summer. Harden could decline it to become an unrestricted free agent.
“It would be irresponsible for me not to have contingency plans with it,” Frank said of Harden’s player option. “But I’m going in with the intent that if he doesn’t pick up his option, that we’re going to be able to reach an agreement that works well for James and works well with the Clippers.”
Frank praised Harden for delivering for the Clippers at his age (35) by playing 79 games in a memorable regular season. He was an All-Star and should make an All-NBA Team. No one can argue that Harden didn't have a good regular season, but what he did during those 79 games didn't matter in the playoffs.
Clippers are committed to James Harden even after Game 7 no-show
Harden deserves credit for helping the Clippers exceed expectations in the regular season, but when LA needed him to knock down shots in Game 7, he went cold. He did finish with a game-high 13 assists and five rebounds, but that wasn't enough to make up for his seven points.
It's not like it was a fluke, either. As Law Murray of The Athletic pointed out, Harden has lost a Game 7 with four different teams in the last eight years.
What Harden did off the court might be as important as what happened on it. He only spoke with the media after Games 1 (a loss) and Game 6 (a win). You can't choose to be a leader only when you play well or your team wins.
Harden won't be the player to lead the Clippers to the playoff success the fan base desires. Moving on from him would mean LA won't be as competitive next season as it was in 2024-25, but it's not like keeping him will make the Clippers a contender. Last Saturday's loss cemented that.