The Cleveland Cavaliers swung for the fences. They knew they had to make a big move to get back on track and be a championship contender again, and that's why they rolled the dice by trading for James Harden.
This move was surprising for many reasons. Not many people thought Harden would be on the move, let alone be traded to Cleveland. More than that, the Cavs' front office looked 100 percent committed to the core four.
Last but not least, trading a player who's technically just entering his prime for a 36-year-old was a rather odd move. That's why NBA analyst Mo Dakhil believes Darius Garland could still win this trade. Talking on Zach Lowe's podcast, he shared his honest thoughts on the potential long-term implications of this deal.
Darius Garland should be motivated to prove the Cavs wrong
"I want to see what he does for this Cilppers team because the Cavs just gave up," Dakhil said. "If you're Darius Garland, you have to look at this as a motivating factor."
It's hard to disagree that Harden raises this team's ceiling in ways Garland just didn't. Then again, that's not likely to be the case in the long run. It's even harder to envision Harden playing at a superstar level three years from now.
Garland, on the other hand, still has one decade to be a star in this game. That said, availability is the best of abilities, and he needs to figure out a way to be on the court and stay healthy. Having him play 70+ games a season for the next eight years would be enough to get back at his former team.
The Cavs are going all-in because they believe they can make a run with their current core. They also know that they might have to break up the roster if they fail to get the job done in the next two years. Koby Altman admitted it was a risky move that could potentially make him look bad a couple of years from now, but it was worth the gamble.
Perhaps they even did Garland a favor. He was never going to take his game to the next level with Donovan Mitchell by his side. Now, he gets a clean slate on a team with no championship aspirations and enough patience to wait for him to be back to full strength.