As part of the James Harden trade, the Philadelphia 76ers will receive the lesser of three first round picks held but the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2026 draft, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The Thunder hold their own pick, as well as the Houston Rockets' top-4 protected pick and one from the Los Angeles Clippers that will become protected. For the Thunder, they are trading a 2026 first round pick in hopes that a pick swap with the Clippers in 2027 creates a greater return.

The Sixers are widely expected to make that pick available between now and the deadline in hopes of upgrading their roster this season.

The future of James Harden with the Los Angeles Clippers could be dependent on what they decide to do with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who also are potential free agents in the 2024 offseason.

"For the Clippers, this is a run now for them to make. They don't know what the future is there," said Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast. "They don't know if they will be able to come to terms with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard on new deals. If they can do something that makes sense. In some ways, maybe James Harden is a rental for them."

Harden was previously a free agent in 2022 and 2023 with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"He's playing for his future in the league," said Wojnarowski. "For a future deal with the Clippers. The only way there's probably going to be another deal with the Clippers is if they're going to keep that thing together with Leonard and George. And Russell Westbrook. So $35.6 million a year for James Harden this season after he opted into that deal last June and then said he wanted a trade with it. It had gotten ugly and personal, certainly, with Daryl Morey. A lot of history with he and James Harden and it doesn't end well. But it ends finally in Philly."

Harden previously had opportunities to sign an extension with the Houston Rockets in 2020 and a new contract with the Sixers this past offseason that he eschewed.

"He's got a lot to prove to people in the league," added Wojnarowski. "In terms of his future and what it's going to look like, it is unlikely he's going to get the money back in his next deal that he has given up by not signing that max extension in Brooklyn, by not signing in Houston when it was offered to him when he asked for the trade then, and by not going into free agency last summer. He potentially could have had a two- or three-year max deal with the Sixers probably around $40 million a year. He didn't want to wait for July 1. He opted into the deal with the very clear suggestion to Daryl Morey and the Sixers that he wanted a trade. And that he wanted that trade to come to the Clippers. It finally did several months later in the dead of the night."

The Houston Rockets have exercised their fourth-year options for guard Jalen Green and center Alperen Sengun in addition to the third-year options for forwards Tari Eason and Jabari Smith Jr. The options are for the 24-25 NBA season.

Green was the second overall pick by Houston in the 2021 NBA Draft.  He was an All-Rookie First Team selection in 2021-22 and averaged a team-high 22.1 points last season.

Sengun was the 16th overall pick by Oklahoma City in the 2021 NBA Draft before his rights were acquired by Houston.  He is one of 16 players in NBA history to have recorded at least 1,800 points, 1,000 rebounds, 450 assists, 100 steals and 100 blocks through the first two seasons of a career.

Eason was the 17th overall pick by the Rockets in the 2022 NBA Draft.  He appeared in all 82 games last season while earning All-Rookie Second team honors. Smith was the third overall pick by Houston in the 2022 NBA Draft.  He started all 79 of his games played as a 19-year-old last season and joined Eason on the All-Rookie Second Team.  

James Harden is "ecstatic" to finally be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, sources told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Harden was hoping to fly to Los Angeles as quickly as possible and could attend Tuesday's game when the Clippers host the Orlando Magic.

Harden requested a trade from the Sixers after he opted into his $35.6 million contract for the 23-24 season.

Harden, like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, grew up in Southern California.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers ramped up trade talks again on a James Harden deal over the weekend and struck a deal early in the morning on Tuesday.

"There was a tremendous amount of pressure on the Sixer organization to find a deal," said Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast. "Harden was working out individually with the organization as the team was away playing really well. A close loss at Milwaukee. A couple of wins, including at Toronto and then back home again. 

"Tyrese Maxey, the league's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, thirty points a game... Joel Embiid looking like the MVP. This was a Sixer team that ultimately decided as an organization that they simply could not bring James Harden back into that mix. That they had gone as far as they could with this. They got back with the Clippers and put together a deal... There was compromise on both sides. The Sixers wanted Terance Mann, they did not get him in this deal. But they did get those two first round picks. The prime of them, the 28th pick from the Clippers. 

"What the Sixers want to do now is be able to go out and scour the market. It's probably not going to be in the near term. This is not a time teams are ready to start parting with players. Although I'm sure they'll try to start. But perhaps closer to the trade deadline, or into December, January when more guys are eligible to be traded, you can expect Daryl Morey to go out and use all these picks he's got now...

"The Sixers think they have as much value to go out and look for a player as what Jrue Holiday cost. They didn't have the assets to get Jrue Holiday last time around. But the next Jrue Holiday, if there's a Jrue Holiday type player available before the deadline, the Sixers think they're at the front of the line now. And they keep their cap space for next summer when they want to be able to get a max player in free agency, or be able to have the assets to take on the salary of a big time player. So that's what Daryl Morey wanted in this.

"He was ready to play this out. I think there was a period of time when he thought they could reincorporate James Harden. But Harden made it clear he was not going to play ball. Literally, figuratively with the Sixers. While he had been okay these last few days around the team. When he was around, there was a sense that wasn't going to last and he was going to do what he needed to do to get this team to trade him."

The LA Clippers have exercised the 2024-25 rookie scale team option for Bones Hyland. Teams have until October 31 to pick up rookie scale options for next season.

This is Hyland's fourth-year option. He was acquired by the Clippers from the Denver Nuggets at last season's trade deadline.

The Washington Wizards have exercised the 2024-25 rookie scale team options for Patrick Baldwin Jr, Johnny Davis and Corey Kispert. The deadline to pick up these options for next season is October 31.

This is the fourth-year option for Kispert. Baldwin and Davis both had their third-year options picked up.

Joel Embiid is attempting to remain focused on basketball despite the ongoing saga of whether James Harden will again play for the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I think everybody in this locker room has been focused on — we’re playing,” Embiid said. “We’ve got games every single day. That’s up to the guys upstairs and management to figure out what’s going to happen. We’ve got a pretty good team.”

Harden could play this week for the Sixers as he continues to his "ramp up" process after being away from the team for 10 days for personal reasons. Maxey has played well in the absence of Harden.

“It’s all about us trying to get better every single day,” Embiid said. “I like where we’re at and I think we can still get better. I’m not close to where I want to be.

“So I’ll be even better, and I think he [pointing to Maxey] can even be better, but it’s going great so far.”

Chris Paul will have a new experience in his 1,366th NBA game. Paul will come off the bench for the first time in his career.

With Draymond Green returning the Golden State Warriors, Paul will come off the bench against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Green is returning after missing the Warriors first to games due to a sprained ankle.

James Harden didn't travel with the Philadelphia 76ers for their two-game road trip to open the season. He won't play in the Sixers home opener either. But Harden should rejoin the team for full practices starting this week.

76ers coach Nick Nurse said that Harden went through the team's walkthrough ahead of their game on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Harden also participated in video work.

The next step is for Harden to do live work in practice on Tuesday. A decision made on his playing status for Philadelphia's game on Thursday will likely be made following that Tuesday practice.