It’s no secret that this season was a pivotal one for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Given their multiple playoff failures, and the wide-open state of the Eastern Conference, the Cavs knew that this year was their chance to go for it.
Up until yesterday, Cleveland had shown undeniable loyalty to their core four of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. Now, that core four is no more, as [Garland was traded for James Harden](https://kingjamesgospel.com/cavaliers-officially-make-panic-trade-pray-james-harden-is-answer-garland).
Harden and Garland is about as lateral of a swap as it gets in terms of playmaking, and given Garland’s health issues, the Cavs knew that they [didn’t have the luxury of time](https://kingjamesgospel.com/cavaliers-james-harden-trade-logic-crystal-clear-after-donovan-mitchell-rumors) when it came to waiting for his return to full health. Harden is still playing at a high level, even though he is older. With Cleveland making this move, though, one thing is very clear.
Cavaliers made this move to maximize their window with Mitchell
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Cleveland already did the song and dance of whether or not Mitchell would leave during the entire 2024 season, but he ended up re-signing that summer. That noise quieted down significantly, but has picked back up.
After this year, Mitchell has one guaranteed year left on his deal. He has not been shy about his desire to get over the playoff hump and get out of the second round.
The Cavs know this and if they were to flame out again this year, then that would mean losing their franchise player. Was that a risk Koby Altman was willing to take? The answer seems to be no, which is why he traded Garland away.
Harden does have his own well-documented playoff failures, but he is another veteran presence for a Cleveland team that needs more guys that have been through the playoff fire. Harden, Mitchell, and the newly acquired Dennis Schroder all have significant playoff experience, which is a plus for their backcourt.
For Garland, he has struggled in the playoffs, albeit some of it is no fault of his own. He played underweight in 2024 and battled the toe injury last year. He was likely going to head into the postseason compromised again, which would greatly hurt the Cavs’ chances.
This is a put up or shut up year for Cleveland. If they failed with this core four again, they were headed for a summertime blow up anyways.
Now Harden is in the fold with a talented roster. He and Mitchell have already spoken about their partnership. Whether or not Mitchell himself pushed for this deal is unclear, but one thing is for sure: the Cavs did this to try and improve their chances of their superstar staying.