The Philadelphia 76ers will retain their remaining draft capital from the 2023 James Harden trade with the Los Angeles Clippers despite the NBA’s sweeping punishment of the Clippers, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The NBA announced that Los Angeles will forfeit five first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032 and 2033 after an independent investigation found the organization violated the league’s salary-cap circumvention rules involving Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers’ penalties initially created some uncertainty around Philadelphia’s draft assets because the 76ers hold the right to swap their own 2029 first-round pick with the Clippers’ pick acquired in the Harden trade.
However, a league source confirmed that Philadelphia’s swap right remains intact.
That distinction is significant because the Clippers’ own 2029 first-round selection was not among the assets removed by the league. Instead, the NBA is taking a 2029 first-round pick that Indiana owes Los Angeles as part of the 2019 trade that sent Ivica Zubac to the Clippers.
Philadelphia acquired its rights to future Clippers draft capital as part of the Harden trade in October 2023. The Clippers acquired Harden and P.J. Tucker from the 76ers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, KJ Martin and multiple draft assets.
The 76ers’ ability to retain the 2029 swap right could become particularly valuable because Los Angeles is now without its own first-round selections from 2029 through 2033.
The Clippers finished 42-40 and ninth in the Western Conference in 2025-26 before entering a major roster transition. They subsequently traded Leonard to the Toronto Raptors after the NBA investigation produced penalties that included a $30 million fine and suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer, president of business operations Gillian Zucker and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank.
Leonard averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 65 games last season, shooting 50.5% from the field and 38.7% from three-point range while earning All-NBA Second Team honors.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has undergone an equally significant offseason transformation. The 76ers acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston, signed LeBron James, and retained Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as the central pieces of the roster.
