You'd be hard-pressed to find someone, anyone, who would argue sincerely that the Cleveland Cavaliers' James Harden is a better player today than the Los Angeles Clippers' Darius Garland. Yet, ever since the trade that saw the two men swap teams, some believe that's the case. They'll advocate for Harden's size 'making a difference' defensively in the playoffs, but there's no way to prove that, and it makes for nothing more than conjecture. What we do know is that Harden's play was awful in the playoffs, shooting just 40.9% from the floor and an abysmal 29.9% from three.
His shot was bad, but his ineffectiveness leading the offense was on display. He looked like a shell of the creator he used to be. In the regular season, the Cavs averaged 119.9 points per game, and dropped to a shocking 107.9 points per game during the postseason. Whatever implied impact Harden had over Garland is simply nonexistent. It's led to many fans lamenting his arrival in Cleveland, even if there are some who think he's still an upgrade over Garland. Well, his less-than-stellar play isn't the only reason fans are now upset with the Harden trade, but apparently his arrival cost the Cleveland Cavaliers a chance to reunite with LeBron James.
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According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the decision for James to forgo a chance to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers came down, in part, to a decision to play with point guard Tyrese Maxey. A player James was apparently very high on. Yet, he was also open to playing with Garland, had the Cavs not traded for him.
In fact, Windhorst goes on to say that not having Garland still on the roster was a huge reason why the Cavs lost out on James' final years in the NBA. Now the Cavs are essentially forced to re-sign Harden, a player who fell off in the playoffs, to avoid the Cavs being even further worse off come the start of the 2026 season than they already are.
At the time, the trade was heavily criticized, and yet, somehow, this trade may still get worse for the Cavs.
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