The Cleveland Cavaliers were among teams making a huge trade before the deadline, swapping NBA All-Star Darius Garland for multi-time All-Star and former MVP, James Harden.
Fittingly, the two teams involved in the massive deal played each other on Wednesday night in the league’s late game. Neither Garland nor Harden debuted for their new teams with the trade still fresh, and the Cavs picked up a 124-91 victory in Los Angeles.
Donovan Mitchell finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting with nine assists and five rebounds, while teammate Jaylon Tyson added 17 points. No other Cavs player scored more than 11 points in the win, but once Harden joins the lineup, it adds a powerful combination.
Mitchell and Harden have been opponents and teammates, and they were on the Western Conference NBA All-Star team together during Mitchell’s time with the Utah Jazz. Now they’ll be full-time teammates, working toward a common goal, as Mitchell discussed after the Cavs’ win in Los Angeles.
"I think our ceiling is obviously higher when you have a guy like James Harden. I mean it's just when you look at it, it's like, ‘Alright cool, we know what he brings,' but also with that there's an expectation. There's an understanding that this is what we got to do," he said.
"Now it’s on us to execute. We weren't able to get it done for the past three years, and our goal is to try to get it done now," he told reporters in his postgame remarks, referring to the Cavs competing for the NBA Championship.
“We make a move at the deadline, obviously there’s gonna be bumps in the road, but for us this is the time, and we gotta go out there and do it,” Mitchell said.
The Cavaliers star commented on the other aspect of losing his teammate Darius Garland in the swap. Garland was at the game with his new team and chatted with his former teammates, even though he did not play for the Clippers due to injury.
"We dealt with it last year with Caris and George and now with DG, but this is bigger than basketball, this is a brother," he said regarding the team trading Garland to the Clippers.
Garland played in 26 games for the Cavs this season, but has been sidelined with a right great toe sprain, making his Clippers’ debut unclear.
Meanwhile, Harden significantly addresses the Cavaliers’ need for a point guard in Garland's absence due to injury, bringing them a player averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game with 41.9 percent field goal shooting.
The Cavaliers aren't leading the Eastern Conference, as that distinction goes to their conference rivals, the Detroit Pistons. However, the addition of Harden seemingly boosted their odds of winning the NBA Finals, as the Cavs are third overall on DraftKings Sportsbook with +1100 odds.
According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Harden is expected to debut with his new team on Saturday night when the Cavs visit the Sacramento Kings, and time will tell if the trade helps get Cleveland closer to another championship.
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