James Harden Clippers Debut: When will 2017-18 NBA MVP take floor with Kawhi, PG-13 and Russ?

After a four-month-long trade request saga, star guard James Harden was finally traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the LA Clippers early Tuesday morning. However, the former MVP isn’t ready to take the floor with his new Clippers co-stars, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook quite yet.

Harden will not be playing in LA’s home game against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday as the trade is still being finalized. However, he could reportedly join the team on the sidelines and has already expressed excitement about the deal, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:

“Harden is ‘ecstatic’ to be going to the Clippers and was hoping to fly to Los Angeles as soon as possible, sources close to him say. There's a chance he will attend Tuesday night's Clippers home game against the Orlando Magic,” Shelburne reported.

Harden’s status for the second night of Wednesday’s back-to-back, a road game against the LA Lakers, is also up in the air. But reports indicate that there is a chance that he could play.

After that, the Clippers have five days off before taking on the New York Knicks on the road on Monday. Harden has yet to play a game this season and will probably need some time to get acclimated to LA’s system. So, many have speculated that this game marks a logical date for the star guard to make his debut.

Update: Per The Athletic's Shams Charania, Harden will sit out Wednesday's road game against the Lakers as he ramps up in practice. However, Harden could still make his debut against the Knicks on Monday at Madison Square Garden.

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NBA scout says he expects big games from James Harden in LA

Newly Acquired LA Clippers star guard James Harden

James Harden has amassed a vast amount of haters in recent years, with many calling him a diva for his series of trade requests. However, when Harden is locked in, most would agree that he is one of the most statistically prominent regular season players in NBA history.

Harden has won a whopping three scoring titles and two assists titles, including last season’s, and regularly puts up gaudy stat lines. So, one anonymous scout who spoke with the Los Angeles Times has high expectations for a locked-in Harden in LA:

“This is something that can go two, three different ways, but I just trust these guys all want the same things,” the scout said.

“I think we’ll get a hard-playing James. Now when the playoffs come, that’s always interesting how he regresses. But I think we’ll see some big games from James in the coming months.”

Harden may have to make some sacrifices playing on a star-studded Clippers roster. However, given that he has embraced a playmaking role in recent seasons, he should have a chance to lead the league in assists once again.

Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 44.1% shooting over 58 games for the Sixers last season.

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Watch: James Harden and P.J. Tucker get warm welcome from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer at Crypto.com Arena