LOS ANGELES, Oct 31 — Former NBA Most Valuable Player James Harden will join the Los Angeles Clippers from the Philadelphia 76ers as part of a blockbuster trade involving seven players and multiple draft picks, US media reported on Tuesday.

Harden, a 10-time All-Star who has won three NBA scoring titles, had yet to play for Philadelphia this season after requesting a move in June and then voicing his frustration publicly when trade talks fell through.

According to reports, the deal will send Harden, PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum and KJ Martin.

The 76ers will also receive a raft of draft picks which is expected to include a 2028 first-round selection.

Harden, 34, will team up with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles. Harden played with Westbrook in Oklahoma City in his first three NBA seasons and briefly reunited with the 2017 MVP in Houston.

The trade ends the standoff between Harden and the 76ers, who are looking to bring in another elite guard to partner with reigning MVP Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Harden had been at odds with 76ers team president Daryl Morey over wanting a long-term contract.

After opting into a one-year deal with the expectation of being traded, no deal for Harden materialised, leaving him calling Morey a liar and saying the ruptured relationship could never be mended.

Philadelphia, who haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 2001, lost in the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the fifth time in six years last season.

The Clippers reached the West Conference finals for the first time in 2021, and added Westbrook towards the end of last season after he completed a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz following his trade from the Los Angeles Lakers. — AFP