Fucked ~ Harden personally contacted Bill to recruit him and even had a direct conversation with the latter s agent

According to ESPN famous reporter Shams Charania, Bill's agent Mark Bartelstein revealed that Bill and the Suns have finalized a buyout agreement and will join the Clippers after the clarification period (48 hours), with a contract of US$11 million for two years.

ESPN famous reporter Brian Windhorst wrote an article talking about the behind-the-scenes story of Bill's upcoming signing with the Clippers. Harden played a central role in this process. Deng Ge directly contacted Bill himself and persuaded him to join the Clippers. He even directly talked with Bill's agent with the consent of all parties.

The details are as follows:

On July 7, the Clippers sent starting point guard Norman Powell to the Heat in a three-party transaction, and themselves obtained new starting power forward John Collins from the Jazz.

The Clippers are already one of the teams that have expressed interest in Bill and are also on the Bills' shortlist. Several sources revealed that negotiations (about Bill) accelerated after Powell's deal was concluded. Clippers owner Ballmer and head coach Tyron Lu are both natives of Missouri and have long-term relationships with St. Louis native Bill. They talked to Bill about what the team can provide after coming to the Clippers.

But the key voice came from Harden, who lobbled the Clippers management to pursue Bill and then contacted Bill himself to convince him to join, said several sources.

Harden played 79 regular season games for the Clippers last season, and at the age of 35, he ranked fifth in the league in playing time. Harden was selected for the All-Star and All-Squad, but he also wanted to relieve himself of his burden next season and believed that Bill could help. Several sources revealed that the plan is comprehensive.

Harden introduced the depth of the Clippers' lineup to Bill and talked about how he and Powell cooperated. Powell replaced George, who left the team last season, became a member of the Clippers' starting lineup, and partnered with Harden in the backcourt to play the best season of his career so far.

Harden outlines how the Clippers accepted and helped him find a fulcrum in his career after his disappointing performances at the Nets and the Sixers damaged his reputation. Bill had a disappointing experience with the Suns, which also weakened his worth in the league and he might feel the same.

Harden even took unusual steps with the consent of all parties, including his team of agents, and spoke directly with Mark Bartelstein (Bill's agent). In the NBA, it is common to recruit celebrity teammates, but it is rare to "recruit" another agent.