CAMDEN, N.J. — After several drama-filled months, the James Harden saga finally ended for the Philadelphia 76ers in the early hours of Tuesday morning, when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the three-time NBA scoring champion would get his wish of being traded to the LA Clippers.
How did 76ers coach Nick Nurse react to the news? When he was called to be told about the deal, he was fast asleep. «I did [get a call],» Nurse said with a smile after Tuesday's practice, «and I slept through it.
But I did get up a couple hours later and came into the office.» Once he did, Nurse woke up to a much different team — one that was without not only Harden but also forward P.J.
Tucker, who had started the first three games, along with reserve forward Filip Petrusev. Although the deal still has to be officially consummated — something that could happen as soon as Tuesday afternoon — the overarching view around the Philadelphia area was a sigh of relief that the standoff between Harden and the Sixers had ended.