The Cleveland Cavaliers drew mixed reactions when they traded for James Harden. Not many teams would've swapped their 26-year-old homegrown All-Star for a guy who's 10 years older and has a history of changing teams.
However, it looks like this team was ready to swing for the fences. Koby Altman knew this was a risky move, but that was something he needed to make to take this team to the next level while Donovan Mitchell is still there.
Fortunately for him, it didn't take long before the numbers proved he was right. The sample size is limited, but the Cavs offense has been off the charts in the three games Harden has taken the court for them.
Cavaliers have an undeniably elite offense with James Harden
Kenny Atkinson's team is scoring a whopping 126.7 points per 100 possessions since Harden made his debut. That would be the highest number in the NBA for a full season, and there's no reason to believe they can't keep that up.
Granted, such a high number might be unsustainable, but they can still stay near the top. Harden is only going to develop more and more chemistry with everybody around him, and this team should be much better once Evan Mobley returns.
Of course, there were more than enough reasons to avoid trading for Harden. He doesn't play defense, has a long history of shortcomings in the playoffs, and has burned bridges with his former teams. There has also been worrisome speculation about his work ethic and activities off the court.
Still, a team has to do what it has to do to compete at the highest level. Despite all the red flags, there's no denying that Harden raises this team's floor and ceiling. The East is wide open, and it was just time to make a move.
The core four did well last season, but they flamed out early in the NBA Playoffs again. The old backcourt pairing wasn't intimidating at all, and the sample size was just too big to ignore the idea of it ultimately not working for Cleveland.
The championship window is wide open. It may close sooner than it would have with Darius Garland, but teams with championship aspirations can't afford to miss the train whenever a future first-ballot Hall of Famer happens to be up for grabs. It just had to be done.