The Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the NBA world when they pulled the trigger to send Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers to get James Harden. He was ten years older, but he was going to raise their floor and ceiling almost immediately.
Harden was a seamless fit for Kenny Atkinson's system. He proved to be a plug-and-play guy by developing instant chemistry with Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell, helping the team peak and secure a top-four seed.
Notably, none of that would've happened if the Houston Rockets had picked up the phone. According to ESPN insiders Tim McMahon and Ramona Shelburne, Harden and his reps tried to get him back in Houston, yet they weren't sure about how his presence would affect their young core.
James Harden almost never joined the Cavs
"Once again, though, the Rockets decided against it, despite the team's void at point guard," the report read. "As fondly as they still regarded Harden, there was a wariness about how he would affect the development of Sengun, Sheppard and Thompson."
While those concerns may have been valid, the Rockets are watching the playoffs on TV after failing to take down a seriously undermanned Los Angeles Lakers squad in the first round of the playoffs. Harden's scoring and playmaking would've certainly helped mitigate the absences of Kevin Durant and Fred VanVleet.
Instead, Harden is now picking up the slack for Donovan Mitchell, who has been inconsistent and erratic in the first seven games of the playoffs. Granted, he has also been careless with the ball at times, but he was the team's best player vs. the Toronto Raptors.
Harden is a 17-year veteran. Everybody knows what he can bring to the table at this point in his career, and the full experience might include some duds in the postseason. That said, it's hard to argue that he wouldn't make any team significantly better.
The Cavaliers will now try to get him signed to a long-term deal, regardless of how things end this season. More than that, trading for him let Donovan Mitchell know that they're serious about making the most of this window and competing for an NBA championship right away.
Darius Garland may have been younger, but he was an injury-prone guy who often fell short in the postseason. It's too early to tell, but for now, it looks like the Cavaliers were the clear winners of this transaction.
As for the Rockets, they might now be looking at moving on from Durant and potentially other young pieces like Jabari Smith Jr. Instead, Harden could've helped them finally win the NBA championship he couldn't win for them in his prime years.
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