“Now, the only cause for pause I have with the Clippers and Bradley Beal is this is one of the oldest, I assume, rosters in the NBA,” Chiney Ogwumike pointed out recently—and she wasn’t exaggerating. With the recent additions of Beal and Chris Paul, the Clippers made a splash, but also pushed their average age further north. Five players on the roster are now 35 or older. That’s not exactly the best look when trying to convince fans you’re getting better, not older.

Still, not everyone’s ringing the alarm bells. A Miami Heat legend has come forward to vouch for the team’s veteran-heavy core. His message? Experience beats age when it’s paired with the right kind of leadership—and the Clippers have that in James Harden. The former MVP has shown glimpses of adapting his game to fit whatever role is needed. And now, with a roster stacked with high-IQ veterans, the narrative might just shift from “too old” to “too dangerous.”

Dwyane Wade recently touched base on Bradley Beal’s trade to the LA Clippers. He stated that the former Suns player now feels he is at a place that he wants to be. After all, Beal will now get to play with James Harden, who has created a reputation over the years as one of the best players in the modern NBA. Someone who knows how to lead and mentor.

“I know he’s playing with a player in James that he’s probably want to play with for a while. You know, a lot of players want to play with James, because (of) his playmaking ability. And I’ve heard James is a great leader, too. I never been in a locker room with him, but a lot of guys speak very highly, um, of James Harden in that locker room,” said Wade. “And so, it seems like, you know, a place where you get to decide where you want to go, it seemed like a place you want to be”.

With over 16 years of NBA experience to his name, James Harden has seen enough and gained enough knowledge to make an impact as a leader. ‘The Beard’ leads the squad by example. As Bogdan Bogdanovic once noted, Harden lands at a city for a game at 2 AM, falls asleep probably around 4-5 am, and then gets ready for today. Harden’s work ethic, as Bogdanovic noted, was “a huge motivation for me and everyone else”. Now, those same lessons would be passed on to Beal.

With James Harden by your side, who will even pay attention to the age issue? Wade highlighted this too, by stating that “And so, it’s a different thing when you’re around that kind of energy. And so, um, I look forward to it. You look at that lineup, the only thing that people can say is, ‘Oh, if they can stay healthy,’ then that’s a good thing because health, you can control. But if you looking at a lineup, you saying, they can be trouble if they stay healthy, that mean we got a chance”.

As Dwyane Wade noted, Beal would certainly be looking forward to playing with someone like James Harden. However, does the same apply vice versa? Well, Harden wouldn’t have made efforts to ensure Beal’s acquisition if it didn’t, right?

James Harden Played A Major Role In Helping the Clippers Acquire Bradley Beal

Last Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania discussed Bradley Beal’s acquisition on NBA Today. During the segment, he revealed that “I’m told James Harden was a focal point in recruiting Bradley Beal internally but also speaking directly to Beal and his camp”. During Saturday’s media availability, Clippers’ president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank, added on to this information. He revealed that Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, had several questions about the organization. Frank suggested that to get clarity, Bartelstein have a direct conversation with James Harden.

“We got permission through James’s agent Mike Silverman, he was totally comfortable. So, James spent over 30 minutes on the phone with Mark Bartlestein” said Frank. Beal’s team was reportedly impressed by Harden’s willingness. After all, how many players would take the time to personally explain to another agent why their team represented the best opportunity?

A 30-minute phone conversation wasn’t James Harden’s only contribution. After declining his player option for the 2025-26 season, Harden re-signed with the team on a 2-year, $81.5 million deal. This number is well below his market max.

“So, without James, we can’t even get Brad, because we wouldn’t have use of the full MLE. So that allowed us to get Brook and Brad because of the way James structured his contract,” said Lawrence Frank. “Two, the way he’s structured his contract in year two gives us flexibility that if we want to have max space, we can choose to do so.”

Efforts and sacrifices were made to get Bradley Beal to the Clippers. One hopes that the player reciprocates in return by leading the team, along with James Harden, through a competitive regular season.