The Cleveland Cavaliers recently shook up the NBA world by trading Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for James Harden, per Shams Charania of ESPN. The move is a clear win-now move by the Cavaliers to bring in a future Hall of Famer, cutting ties with Garland amid his injury-riddled season in the process.
The move also signals Cleveland's desperation to keep star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell around for the long haul, and recently, NBA insider Jake Fischer provided more context on that front.
“…with Mitchell becoming extension eligible this summer, there was a growing fear that another failed postseason for the Cavaliers — who were a highly disappointing 22-19 not long ago — could have led to a disastrous scenario where Mitchell declined (a new contract),” reported Fischer on Marc Stein's Substack.
“People don't realize the Cavs are in the same position with Donovan as the Bucks are with Giannis,” said one front office executive, per Fischer.
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Indeed, the Milwaukee Bucks have been pulling out all the stops over the last few years to keep Antetokounmpo happy in Milwaukee, including waiving and stretching Damian Lillard's contract in order to bring in Myles Turner this past offseason. While that experiment has not gone according to plan, the Cavaliers are hoping that their trade for Harden will ultimately allow them to compete for a championship and keep Mitchell around for the long haul.
“Holding a player option for the 2027-28 season, Mitchell could… become an unrestricted free agent as soon as the summer of 2027,” Fischer pointed out.
The Cavaliers have been playing some improved basketball as of late, and the Harden trade could be just what they need to give themselves another jolt up the standings.
However, trading for James Harden in the hopes of improving your chances of performing well in the playoffs is an interesting choice, to say the least.