"This is getting ugly" - Stephen A. Smith warns James Harden of hitting career dead-end after LA Clippers' nightmare start to season

The LA Clippers are on a five-game losing streak and haven't won since trading for James Harden. The team is feeling the pressure of having four ball-dominant stars as they try to win and Stephen A. Smith has warned Harden about his future in the league.

Harden has built a reputation for being a demanding star. Over the past few seasons, the 2017-18 MVP has requested trade after trade and fans are growing tired of it.

Smith is worried about what might happen if the Clippers don't get a chance to make things work, hinting at a possibility for "The Beard" to end his NBA career.

"This is getting ugly," Smith said on his show. "Ty Lue really, really needs to be figuring out a way to get the hell out up out of LA. Seriously, how the hell is this going to work? James Harden needs the basketball, Russell Westbrook needs the basketball, and they're not even two of the primary scorers."

"Their thing is having the ball in their hands and being facilitators for somebody else or themselves, not running around through pick and screens, and moving without the basketball like a Steph Curry and then getting the ball that way. No, that ain't gonna work for them."

"The Statue of Liberty ain't far from me, I'm telling you right now. That might move more than Harden... This could be it for you. If it don't work out with the Los Angeles Clippers, my condolences, my brother. That's me feeling sorry for Harden."

Fans of the franchise haven't been impressed with how the Harden trade panned out so far. The Clippers were already getting their rhythm back when the front office decided to trade for the ten-time All-Star.

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Stephen A. Smith wasn't always a fan of the Harden trade

The idea of trading for Harden was always around and the Clippers were the only team involved. After the trade, fans witnessed the team's struggles, resulting in Stephen A. Smith expressing his further thoughts on the team and their decision.

The Clippers have been terrible since making the trade and Smith knew that would happen. According to the famed journalist, egos are going to get in the way.

"I don't know how wise it was for them to bring James Harden to LA. Yeah, you probably did it because you needed a safety net. You needed a security blanket in case Paul George or Kawhi Leonard inevitably get hurt, because that's what they do. ... I understand the thinking," he said on the Stephen A. Smith show.

"That s**t ain't gonna work. It's not gonna work. Egos are going to get in the way," he added.

If the Clippers fail to deliver and make things work out, Harden might not get another chance to play in the NBA.