James Harden is a Cleveland Cavalier.
The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to trade the 11-time All-Star to Cleveland for injured point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, a trade first reported by [Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated](https://x.com/SIChrisMannix), with [Shams Charania of ESPN announcing the trade has been finalized](https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/2018853274666029331).
In a wild twist of scheduling fate, the Cavaliers play the Clippers in LA on Wednesday night, although it’s unlikely that either man plays for his new team. It is possible this is Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis’ Cavaliers debuts.
The Cavaliers, who want to contend now in a wide-open Eastern Conference, pick up a point guard they think can help them get there. Harden has shown he can play at a near-All-Star level at age 36, averaging 25.4 points per game this season. Harden’s passing will be an upgrade for the Cavaliers, as is the fact that he has been largely healthy this season while Garland has not. That said, Harden’s defense, ball dominance and fit next to Donovan Mitchell are concerns.
The Clippers and Harden had been working together for a couple of weeks to find a trade that worked for both of them and there was no animosity, according to reports. That said, this was all about the money and the direction the team was headed.
Harden has a player option for $42.3 million next season, but only $13.3 million of that is guaranteed. Harden sought assurances that the Clippers would not exercise their option, so he would receive his full salary next season, and he also wanted to discuss an extension next summer (Harden is not extension-eligible during the season). The Clippers are in a different place than the Cavaliers, they are not contenders and they are an older team. The Clippers are looking to pivot away from the Harden/Kawhi Leonard era over the next couple of years and did not want to discuss an extension. That led to the decision to find him a trade.
While the Clippers have pushed to keep their 2027 books clean so they can chase free agents, the chance to land a 26-year-old All-Star point guard was too good to pass up, even if it messes with that plan.
Both the Clippers and Cavaliers have been playing their best basketball of the season in recent weeks. How this trade impacts that for both teams will be something to watch.
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