News broke that the Clippers and James Harden were working through a trade. Harden identified the Cleveland Cavaliers as the team he wanted to go to, and the deal is now complete. The Clippers are trading Harden to the Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, in a prolific swap of the star point guards.
Cavaliers Land Harden
As the Cavs looked to improve their team in a stacked Eastern Conference, they landed one of the NBA’s 75 greatest players, who can elevate the team and create a fantastic backcourt pairing with Donovan Mitchell. At 36 years old, Harden is still playing at an elite level, averaging 25.4 points on 41.9% shooting and 8.1 assists. He now returns to the Eastern Conference after departing from the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023.
This is a stellar deal from the Cavaliers’ perspective, as they didn’t have to give up much to land a premier scorer and have now created one of the best backcourts in the league. Harden running point with Donovan Mitchell at shooting guard and running pick and rolls with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is going to be extremely dangerous.
The reality is, in an extremely tight playoff race in the East, the Cavs needed more firepower and couldn’t rely on Garland to be ready to be a big contributor in the playoffs. They’ve had the same core for years and desperately needed a big change, which they made today.
Clippers Get Darius Garland
While they never accomplished their goal of winning a championship with Harden, the Los Angeles Clippers are making out well in this deal with Garland. It’s been a tough year for him, missing a ton of time with lingering toe injuries dating back to the start of the season. At just 26 years old, Garland is a young piece they can build around, and is under contract until the 2027-2028 season.
Garland’s timetable to return has yet to be revealed, but he has been making steady progress after missing two weeks with a right toe sprain. In just 26 games this season, Garland is averaging 18 points per game, 6.9 assists, and is shooting 45.1% from the field. With Los Angeles having one of the oldest rosters in the NBA, getting younger has to be a priority. This is a good start.
