Future first-ballot Hall of Fame point guard James Harden is heading to his sixth NBA franchise. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Los Angeles native is being traded from his hometown Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster swap for two-time All-Star point guard Darius Garland, 10 years Harden’s junior, plus a single second-round pick.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reveals that the Cavs are sending LA their own 2026 second-rounder.
Charania indicates that Harden and the Clippers coordinated his departure over the last several days. It’s unclear what inspired the break.
Saddled with the oldest NBA roster in history, Los Angeles began the season on a dismal 6-21 run, and appeared to be packing their bags for Cancun before January. But Harden and now-seven-time-All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard helped pick the club up from the wreckage. LA has gone 17-5 since that brutal 2025-26 start.
Cleveland finally has conceded that its longtime “Core Four” of Garland, seven-time All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (who’s actually two inches shorter than Harden), reigning Defensive Player of the Year power forward/center Evan Mobley, and one-time All-Star center Jarrett Allen just does not fit. Pivoting to Harden is, understandably, a bit of a short-term move intended to raise the Cavaliers’ ceiling.
Harden, right now, is better than Darius Garland. Garland has been saddled with foot injuries for much of the season, too, while Harden still somehow remains surprisingly durable.
The 6-foot-5 Arizona State product, 36, has been averaging 25.4 points on .419/.347/.901 shooting splits this season, plus 8.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the 23-26 Clippers.
This story will be updated…
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