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Cleveland would become Harden's sixth team. He played for Oklahoma City, then Houston, then Brooklyn, then Philadelphia and, since 2023, the Clippers.
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Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Feb 03, 2026 • 5 minute read
NBA guard James Harden
LA Clippers guard James Harden (right) drives as Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones guards during the first half of an NBA game in Chicago on Jan. 20, 2026. Photo by Nam Y. Huh /The Associated Press
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James Harden is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the Los Angeles Clippers agreeing to send the 11-time all-star back to the Eastern Conference during his highest-scoring season in six years, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday night.
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ESPN was first to report the deal was finalized.
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The Cavaliers are giving up point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade has not yet been approved by the NBA.
That approval could come by Wednesday, when the Cavaliers and Clippers face off in Inglewood, Calif.
Harden is averaging 25.4 points this season, his most since averaging 34.3 points in 2019-20. He’s been a huge part of the Clippers’ resurgence back into playoff — or, at least, play-in — contention after a dismal 6-21 start.
“He means a lot to our team and we’ve seen it the last three years,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Monday night when stories began breaking indicating such a move was close. “Who wouldn’t want to have James Harden?”
Cleveland would become Harden’s sixth team. He played for Oklahoma City, then Houston, then Brooklyn, then Philadelphia and, since 2023, the Clippers.
For the Cavaliers, it seems to be a move for right now — pairing the 36-year-old Harden with another star guard in Donovan Mitchell. For the Clippers, it seems to be a move with an eye on the future — the 26-year-old Garland is a two-time All-Star, averaging 18 points and 6.9 assists this season for Cleveland.
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Harden opted out of the final year of his contract last summer with the Clippers to sign a new deal that would have been worth $81.5 million for this season and the 2026-27 campaign. Next year is at his option, which basically meant he was on a one-year contract anyway.
He got that deal after averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists and returning to the All-NBA team for the first time since 2019-20.
Other NBA trades Tuesday
Utah-Memphis
Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to the Utah Jazz in an eight-player, three-draft-pick deal with the rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies.
Jackson, Jock Landale, John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. were sent to Utah in exchange for Georges Niang, Kyle Anderson, Walter Clayton Jr. and Taylor Hendricks. The NBA approved the trade less than 48 hours ahead of the Thursday afternoon trade deadline.
Also included in the deal: three first-round picks for Memphis, which has been engaged in talks about trading star guard Ja Morant as well. For now, the Grizzlies — who already had built a sizable haul of looming first-round picks even before this move _ decided to part with Jackson, a former defensive player of the year.
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Jackson averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this season for Memphis, the team that drafted him No. 4 overall in 2018. He was a two-time All-Star for the Grizzlies, the 2023 defensive player of the year, a two-time blocked shot champion and a three-time all-defensive team pick.
Of the four Utah players moving to Memphis in the deal, none averaged more than 7.1 points per game this season. Niang has yet to play because of injury; he was with Atlanta last season, got traded to Boston in July and then was sent to Utah in August.
Celtics-Bulls (Report)
The Boston Celtics are adding some frontline depth for the playoff run, agreeing Tuesday to acquire Nikola Vucevic from the Chicago Bulls for guard Anfernee Simons, a person with knowledge of the pending trade said.
There is a package of second-round draft capital also involved in the trade, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal is still pending the required league approval.
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The 35-year-old Vucevic is joining his fourth team after stints with Philadelphia, Orlando and the Bulls. He has averaged 16.9 points and 9.0 rebounds this season, roughly matching his career marks of 17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Simons was with the Celtics for just this season, after coming to Boston in the trade last summer that sent Jrue Holiday to Portland. He averaged 14.2 points this season for the Celtics, who entered Tuesday tied with New York for second in the Eastern Conference despite being without Jayson Tatum all season while he recovers from a torn Achilles.
The move will also lessen Boston’s tax bill considerably, from about $39 million to roughly $17 million. There are other financial flexibilities that the Celtics pick up as part of the deal as well, which could be turned into other moves.
Both players are set to be free agents this summer.
Pistons-Bulls-Timberwolves (Report)
The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons got deeper by agreeing to acquire Kevin Huerter from the Chicago Bulls as the centerpiece of a four-player, three-team deal, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press.
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The Pistons got Huerter and Dario Saric — who was just acquired over the weekend by Chicago — from the Bulls. Chicago landed Mike Conley Jr. from Minnesota and Jaden Ivey from the Pistons, said the people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade was still pending league approval.
ESPN first reported the agreement.
Huerter is having one of the most well-rounded seasons of his career and would join a Detroit team aiming for a deep playoff run in the East. The Pistons don’t shoot many 3-pointers — they’re 27th in attempts and 28th in attempts per game entering Tuesday — but that could change with Huerter being added to a group that features constant deep threat Duncan Robinson, among others.
Ivey spent parts of four seasons with the Pistons. He was dealing with the aftereffects of knee surgery entering the season and was averaging a career-low 8.2 points, getting only 16.8 minutes per game, another career low.
Conley’s departure from Minnesota would come with one benefit for the Timberwolves — their tax bill. Facing an estimated $24 million bill entering Tuesday, the Conley move dropped the anticipated total to somewhere around $4 million and got them below the first apron.
That could open the door to other moves for Minnesota, which has been mentioned as one of the teams in pursuit of Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Huerter is averaging nearly 11 points this season and is set to become a free agent this summer.
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