Refusing Harden to join the Clippers? Leonard thought the defense was not up to par, and Morey was deadly

Recently, according to the latest report from NBA Hall of Fame Amick, the Clippers asked team core Kawaii Leonard about the Harden trade. Leonard said he didn't want Harden to join the Clippers and got it without sending away multiple defenders. Even head coach Tyronn Lue has an ambiguous attitude towards Harden's arrival, which makes the Harden trade even more confusing. More than two months have passed from Harden's execution of player options to his application for a trade and wanting to go to the Clippers, but the two teams have been locked in a tug-of-war with no results.

The Clippers are also uncertain about the team's future, and next season may be Leonard and George Paul's final year, as the team may consider not renewing their contracts. But at the same time, the team also respects Leonard's wishes, after all, he is the main force for the Clippers to win the championship, and Harden's joining is also because of Leonard and George. The reporter revealed that the reason Leonard did not want Harden to join was that Leonard believed that Harden's defense would not meet the standards of the playoffs and would be a burden on the team. Harden has always been not known for defense, which is indeed what makes the Clippers hesitate, not to mention the need to give defensive masters like Powell and Covington.

But recently, the Clippers have once again added chips to the trade, and the potential Mann shows that the team really wants a real playmaker. Wei Shao is a playmaker, but with Harden joining, Wei Shao can exist as a charger, and even lead the second team to be more lethal. However, the Clippers hesitated when Leonard, George, and Harden may all have only one year, especially Harden. Harden still has a one-year contract, if the Clippers send Mann, Powell, Covington and other strength players, Leonard, George, Harden do not renew their contracts, the team will be a complete rebuild, which will cost more. So the team also had to consider whether it could really keep Harden for a long time, which also made Morey pinch Harden.