Just like that, James Harden is the newest guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Darius Garland is en route to the Clippers. Cleveland received the 36-year-old, sending Garland and a second-round pick to LA.
Fans first learned about the idea of a Harden-Garland swap late on Monday night after ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Clippers and Harden were working on a trade, when Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reported it. However, as The Stein Line reported, those talks hadn't gained real traction.
Now, after a long day of waiting, it's official.
It's not surprising that Cleveland moved on from Garland after what felt like 10 years of trade rumors, but trading him for Harden, who is 10 years older than him, isn't exactly what fans had in mind.
The pressure was on Cleveland to land another star to pair alongside Donovan Mitchell in hopes of making the kind of playoff run fans have been waiting for.
Harden hasn't helped lead a team to the conference finals since 2018, when the Rockets lost in seven games to the Warriors. In his most recent playoff contest, Game 7 against the Nuggets in the 2025 semifinals, he finished with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting. Harden did have 13 assists, but scoring seven points in a win-or-go-home game is unacceptable.
Cavaliers trade Darius Garland for James Harden
There had to have been at least some fans in favor of the Harden trade when Mannix first reported that the two teams were discussing a deal, and some (probably most) were left wondering what the Cavaliers were doing. Since then, some who weren't in favor may have talked themselves into the trade, even seeing it now as a win for Cleveland, but understandably, some fans are still struggling to reach that point (and it may take a while, if it ever happens).
If you're an optimist, you're probably looking at Harden's statistics right now, as he averaged 25.4 points (the most for him since his last full season in Houston), 8.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game on 41.9/34.7/90.1 shooting splits in 35.4 minutes across 44 games in LA this season. He has played more than Garland this season. If you look at his stats and availability, and nothing else, you should be fine!
Who really cares about defense? Or that Harden is older than Garland? Or that he has also struggled in the postseason? Maybe it will be different in Cleveland.
There are many unanswered questions, but what we do know is that contenders in the East are happy with this trade, as, in theory, it gives them another reason not to worry about the Cavaliers in the postseason.
Oh, and there's the fact that Mitchell could decline his player option next summer (2027) to hit unrestricted free agency. Cleveland won't let it get to that point, meaning if things don't go well with Harden (and his track record isn't the best), Mitchell could be the one to request a trade before next year's deadline, if not sooner.
So, in other words, this James Harden thing better work out.