The Clippers choosing between James Harden and Terance Mann is not the easy decision you think it is

Happy Friday, folks! Welcome back to Layup Lines. Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you’ve had an awesome week.

The Clippers seem to be locked in on trading for James Harden, according to the latest from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, but the two sides are far apart.

Here’s where we’re at:

— The Clippers have reportedly offered an unprotected first-round pick and a pick swap in exchange for Harden.

— But Philadelphia has reportedly pushed back, asking for Terance Mann along with a slew of first-round picks. Los Angeles ain’t biting.

There it goes again, folks. It’s the Terance Mann snag the Clippers always seem to run into when it’s time to consider making a splash. Basically, he’s their new Eric Bledsoe. LA just refuses to trade him.

It’s easy to see why, though. Mann is a solid, two-way player who can shoot 38 percent from deep. Those players don’t grow on trees.

But still, it also feels like it’s kind of now or never for the Clippers, doesn’t it? the stakes are high. This team has to go all-in now. Again.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George could both become free agents after this season if neither sign contract extensions.  They’re also both seemingly always hurt and unavailable, so there’s not even really a guarantee that the Clippers will offer them new deals.

While their run together so far has easily been the best era of Clippers’ history, the most success the team has only been one Western Conference Finals run in four seasons. This team was put together to win titles. This era isn’t a failure, but the Clippers have certainly failed to accomplish that.

James Harden’s favor around the league has certainly slipped, but he’s still a really good player when he’s right. He’s a wizard with the ball who led the NBA in assists last season. He’ll relieve pressure on Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to create everything offensively and — most importantly — he stays healthy. That’s the type of player the Clippers might need a bit more than they need a 3-and-D wing at this point.

The Clippers’ commitment to Terrence Mann is the only thing standing in the way of that.

So the question is this: Do you give up this steady player who has held it down for you over the years to maximize your team’s talent? Even if that talent isn’t necessarily the cleanest fit?

That’s the decision the Clippers have to make. And they’ll have to make it soon before other teams get desperate and the market starts to heat up.

Let me just say, I don’t envy them at all.

TO MANN, OR NOT TO MANN

That is the question. Would you move Terance Mann for James Harden if you’re the Clippers? Click here to let us know what you think in this poll.

We’ll share the results with you next week.

He, too, was thrilled that Joel Embiid chose to rock with Team USA — even if he couldn’t really say it at the moment.

All James could do was crack a rye smile when he was told Embiid committed to playing for the United States in the 2024 Olympics. Robert Zeglinski has more.

Joel Embiid sent shockwaves through the international basketball world Thursday when he revealed he’d play for Team USA — not his native Cameroon or France — at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The reigning NBA MVP and Philadelphia 76ers talisman will join an absolutely stacked roster that features other notable names like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, and, of course, LeBron James.

After Lakers practice Thursday, James was asked for his opinion on the Embiid news. At first, his reaction seemed muted. But then it became abundantly clear James was ecstatic that the superstar big man was joining forces with some of the biggest stars in American basketball. (Note: James may have also played an active recruiting part in getting Embiid aboard.)

Sometimes, you just can’t hide a smile. 

Looks like that recruiting worked, Bron. Good job.

WNBA expansion is finally coming and it’s super exciting considering how long this has been a discussion around the league.

One thing that was a bit concerning to me about it, though, was the $50 million committed to the league by Joe Lacob’s ownership group for the team, according to reporting from Sportico.

Some details:

— That $50 million fee will be paid by the group over the next 10 years.

— It’s unclear whether this fee is actually the expansion fee for the franchise or if it’s paying for something else.

If this is an expansion fee, that’s probably not the greatest sign. Think of the expansion fee as a buy-in for the league — this is what you have to pay to create a new team. If that is what this is, that $50 million mark is an extremely low figure.

It’s not exactly a franchise valuation, but it’s close. And it just doesn’t really sit right with me that a Bay Area franchise could be created for that much when, for example, the Seattle Storm are reportedly worth a WNBA record $151 million.

That $50 million mark is a WNBA record, so it’s not all bad. But it’s also a low threshold for someone like Joe Lacob to cross before breaking even on this franchise if he chose to sell it. You don’t want that because you want owners who are committed to making sure their teams are the best of the best.

Now, I don’t think Lacob would do that. He seems to have an actual passion for basketball and was the owner of an ABL team previously. But just knowing that this is where things might be is kind of concerning for future expansion franchises.

We’ll find out more down the line, I’m sure. But this number is something to keep an eye on.

— Damian Lillard is a fan of Marjon Beauchamp. Welcome to the club, Dame. Bryan Kalbrosky has more.

— Kevin Durant has A&R credits on Drake’s new album. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for him considering the mixed reviews. Meghan Hall has more on that.

— Speaking of the WNBA’s Bay Area franchise, Meghan has everything you need to know about that right here for you.

— Bryan put together the projected lineup for Team USA when we get to the 2024 Paris Games. It’s going to be so fun.

That’s all, folks. Enjoy your weekend! Don’t forget to vote in our James Harden-Terance Mann poll! We want to hear from you.

Until next time. We out.