The Los Angeles Clippers currently sit in 7th place in the Western Conference and control their playoff destiny. They have been one of the more surprising teams in the NBA, as they were without star Kawhi Leonard for more than half the year.

One of the biggest reasons for their success has been the stellar play of James Harden.

So far this season, Harden is averaging 22.5 points and 8.7 assists. The pairing of him and Leonard, along with the emergence of Norman Powell, has made the Clippers a legit threat, but is that a long-term core?

In his latest piece for Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus predicted every team’s biggest flight risk, and for the Clips, he named James Harden.

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The Los Angeles Clippers have a scrappy team that can certainly compete and could even surprise a team in the first round of the playoffs, but are they built for long-term success?

“The Clippers are more likely than not to keep James Harden, who has a $36.3 million player option,” Pincus writes. He could opt out to re-sign for two more seasons, timing his deal to end with Kawhi Leonard’s after 2026-27.”

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“If Harden does opt out, LA could always choose to go in a different direction. While the Clippers are probably good enough to make the playoffs this season, they may need to reset in the long term. In the meantime, the partnership with Harden could continue.”

Harden will turn 36 before next season. Ultimately, it will be up to him if he wants to remain with the Clippers under his current deal. An opt-out and then re-signing on a more team-friendly deal could certainly help the Clips in the immediate and in building for the future.

Or the Los Angeles Clippers could end up allocating that $36 million and go in a different direction altogether.