A trade that seemed foolish, brash, and illogical for the Cleveland Cavaliers hours ago has now come to pass. James Harden is officially headed to Cleveland, with Darius Garland, ten years Harden's junior, headed to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange.
What on Earth just happened? This deal felt like a no-brainer for Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman to avoid, given Garland's expected trade value this coming offseason.
As it turns out, the very fact that Altman proceeded with this deal, on short notice, no less, reveals something entirely new about Garland's actual value on the market: It must be near-zero.
James Harden-Cavs trade reveals lack of demand for Darius Garland
Garland's demand across the league has clearly plummeted. It wasn't long ago that the All-Star point guard was being discussed by pundits like Bill Simmons as a potential change-of-scenery franchise player for a team like the Brooklyn Nets.
The expectation was that Altman would at some point cash in on Garland's relative youth and offensive prowess to acquire future assets and cap space in a savvy trade.
Even as recently as the present transaction cycle, many people have wondered if Altman would trade Garland before Feb. 5 and initiate the above plan earlier than expected.
While Cleveland has been stubborn about breaking up its core four, that philosophy has reportedly begun to suffer cracks in its very foundation, with Garland's ongoing injury troubles and now-burdensome salary becoming the main reason why.
Maybe Cleveland wasn't going to get an absolute haul for Garland anymore, Cavs fans began to ponder, but it still made sense for him to go. Perhaps they'd have to "settle" for someone like Trey Murphy III or Michael Porter Jr. (names thrown around recently by Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor).
The gap between the above scenarios and a trade return of 36-year-old James Harden for Garland? It's wider than an ocean, and yet Altman's willingness to dive right into the deal shows that he had no faith in getting a better return for Garland on the open market.
Garland's sudden and steep drop in value represents another chapter in the NBA's growing disgust for small guards who can't defend, even if they are offensive dynamos.
Sadly, the league absolutely punishes a player like Garland in the playoffs, and the Garland-era Cavs haven't done anything to show that they are an exception to the rule.
Ironically, Harden is also a terrible defender, but he happens to be four inches taller than Garland and has a significantly bigger body that's less easily targeted for postseason bullying. More importantly for Altman, Harden's contract expires a year earlier than Garland's.
We all assumed that Garland's trade value was substantially higher than Harden's. Now we can surmise that, beyond being a decade younger, Garland doesn't possess anything that makes him much more enticing to NBA front offices than Harden.
Both are elite offensive talents who don't defend. And they were just swapped for each other in a trade that was weirdly fair.