3 reasons why James Harden would never join LA Lakers

James Harden wants a trade and is eyeing to land in Hollywood, but it probably won't be the LA Lakers. Harden is currently disappointed with how things played out in Philly. He opted into his $35.6 million player option and demanded a trade.

Interestingly, the LA Clippers are eyeing a move for the former MVP. That ideally should bother the Lakers and see them enter the sweepstakes to pursue his signature and force them to alter Harden's plans. Despite all these factors, the Lakers might keep away from the 33-year-old.

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Exploring why LA Lakers are unlikely to pursue James Harden

James Harden isn't the perennial MVP-level player anymore. However, he can still produce a 20-point 10-assist night at will. He's become one of the league's elite playmakers after transitioning into a full-time point guard role with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers.

Despite entering the twilight of his career, Harden does have a lot to offer. So why might the Lakers not want him to don the famous Purple and Gold jerseys? We look at three key reasons that would play a role in keeping the Lakers away from pursuing "The Beard."

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#1 LA Lakers are building for the future

The LA Lakers seem to be done with their strategy of always pursuing the big names every offseason. That comes after their disappointing run following the Russell Westbrook trade in 2021. The Lakers didn't make the playoffs, had no room to improve their roster and never got above the .500 mark, despite boasting a big three of Westbrook, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Their offseason activity this year proved that. Instead of having a go at a free agent like Kyrie Irving, the Lakers invested in retaining the core that helped them get to the conference finals. They re-signed Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell while making marginal upgrades to their rosters with additions like Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince.

James Harden, 33, evidently doesn't fit their timeline. The Lakers are unlikely to have the money to sign him to a max deal he would likely aim for next season. Meanwhile, they wouldn't want to break up their core again for an aging star who isn't in his prime after the Westbrook debacle.

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#2 James Harden's playoff struggles

The LA Lakers are efficient when identifying players that can help them win. They made a rare miss with the Russell Westbrook move in 2021. Westbrook hasn't proved his mettle in the postseason, and neither has James Harden.

The former Rockets guard has played twice in the conference finals as his team's best player. He made the finals in 2012 when he was a sixth man. Over the last three seasons as a second or third option, he's recorded three series wins and not made it past the conference semis.

During that stretch, Harden has consistently failed to match the expectations as a star player. The Lakers could have better, younger options in the coming offseasons that could fit their system better than Harden.

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#3 LA Lakers are better off without more drama

Since forcing his way out of Houston in 2021, James Harden's reputation has taken a massive hit. The LA Lakers, among other teams, must have noted this. LA already has too much spotlight on it as a big market team. It spent nearly two seasons focusing on off-court distractions during Russell Westbrook's tumultuous tenure.

The Lakers are finally in a stable situation, and there's no reason why they would want to entertain Harden's antics should the move not work out for the franchise or the player.