After years of holding onto the core four, the Cleveland Cavaliers swiftly changed trajectory by trading Darius Garland for former MVP guard James Harden.
The star guard swap signaled a dramatic shift in the Cavs' perspective. As the league's most expensive team and the only one above the luxury tax's second apron, Cleveland entered the season with much riding on their performance. Unfortunately, Garland's injuries and inconsistent output made him a clear candidate for trade.
Less than 24 hours after the news first broke that Harden was seeking an exit from the LA Clippers and the Cavs were a potential landing spot, the deal was concluded. Garland's Cavaliers tenure ended after six-and-a-half seasons, two All-Star appearances and three postseason runs. He was the spark behind Cleveland's latest generation of stars and success and will now join the Clippers as the star of the next generation in LA.
For the Cavaliers, this Harden trade follows a bombshell De'Andre Hunter trade that gave Cleveland Dennis Schroder, Keon Ellis and millions of dollars in cap space savings. With Cleveland abandoning the core four model, numerous sources have linked the Cavs to be targeting more trades to duck below the second apron and chase another big trade ahead of the February 5 deadline.
Lonzo Ball is as good as gone with Cleveland
Less than a year after joining the Cavaliers, veteran point guard Lonzo Ball seems to be the next focus of trade discussions. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Harden trade is only the beginning of a busy final few days before the deadline in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers aren't done, either. Cleveland is very much still working towards finding a trade partner to assume Lonzo Ball's $10 million salary, per sources.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) February 4, 2026
Both Hunter and Garland had seen significant declines in production this season, rarely find their stride within the offensive system. The two now ex-Cavaliers were two of the worst box plus/minus performers on the team, likely playing a hand in their exits.
Now, Lonzo Ball is a clear next option. With the Hunter and Garland trades, Cleveland is roughly $14 million above the second apron. Owed $10 million this season with a team option this summer, Ball is an easy-to-trade contract given his lack of impact on the court and mid-sized salary. The former second-overall pick has been linked to the Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards in recent days as the Cavs seek a complete salary dump to bring themselves within $4 million of the apron threshold.
On the season, Lonzo is averaging 4.6 points per game on career-low efficiency. Shooting 30.1 percent from the field and 27.2 percent on three-pointers, Lonzo has not been able to establish any security with the Cavs.
If Cleveland wants to build a cohesive roster around Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley while dropping the cap sheet, Lonzo is obviously the next one to go. Despite being an ideal match for the roster on paper, his dreadful offensive output has made him expendable beyond repair.
Given the current signs, it is all but certain that the Cleveland Cavaliers are waving goodbye to Lonzo Ball by the deadline's buzzer.