Usually, when NBA players get traded in the offseason, it is either a huge relief because they need a fresh start to revive their place in the league, or they understand that they need to make the most of the opportunity to establish themselves in a different hierarchy. However, more often than not, being traded in the middle of a season can be solely "frustrating" for a player.
For Boban Marjanovic , that was exactly the case when he was traded midway through the 2018-19 season from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Philadelphia 76ers .
However, in a classic turn of events, his frustration and sadness almost instantly turned into joy when he realized that he had been traded alongside a familiar face: Tobias Harris, meaning two friends would once again be teammates.
To begin the 2018-19 season, Marjanovic has appeared in 36 games for the Clippers, starting four of them. The 7'4″ center was averaging 6.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing 10.4 minutes per game.
With his role gradually increasing, it seemed like he could easily end up playing more than 60-65 games for the team and establish himself as a reliable part of the rotation.
However, when the Clippers traded him to the 76ers during the midseason trade window, Boban was understandably disappointed.
Once again, he had been traded and would have to prove his value all over again in a new destination.
That feeling changed almost immediately when he learned in the hotel lobby that Harris had also been traded. The two players were overjoyed to discover that they were going to Philly together.
"I'm talking to the conditioning coach, 'Hey, 12 more hours and we're 100 percent coming to LA.' Man, at half past midnight my phone rings, landline. It's Doc Rivers. I say, 'Hello, do you know what time it is now?" Like, half past twelve. They taught me not to call anyone past 9 pm, like 'Why are you calling me now?'… I'm coming out of my room sad, and Tobias comes out of his room and I'm like, 'What's up? Doc called — I'm going to be traded.' And he says, 'Hey, I'm going too. I've been traded.' Like, 'Hey, we're going together again!' High five," Boban explained.
Interestingly, this wasn't the first time Harris and Marjanovic had been traded together as part of the same package to a new destination.
Previously, on January 29, 2018, the Detroit Pistons sent Harris, Boban, Avery Bradley, a first-round pick and a second-round pick to the Clippers in exchange for Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson.
That trade brought the two players together in Los Angeles and their friendship continued to grow from there.
Harris averaged 18.2 points per game over 27 appearances for the Clippers, while Marjanovic averaged 8.2 points per game, which was the most he had averaged for any team over 22 appearances in the regular season.
Clearly, both players were thriving in their roles with the 76ers after arriving together.
Unfortunately for them, it is impossible to know what they could have accomplished that season. The Sixers had a legitimate chance of reaching the Conference Finals and potentially going even further, but their run came to an end because of Kawhi Leonard's iconic buzzer-beating three-pointer in Game 7.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
