For years, Cleveland Cavaliers fans urged the front office to do something. The core four looked solid on paper, but they got outworked and exposed in big games and in the playoffs time and time again, and there were just too many doubts about their ability to get over the hump.
The front office repeatedly doubled down on its commitment to that group. Nevertheless, they ultimately faced facts and realized that they needed to take some risks to get the monkey off their backs. That's when, out of left field, James Harden fell right into their laps.
With Harden wanting out and Darius Garland barely playing because of injuries, the Cavs pulled the trigger and sent their 26-year-old homegrown All-Star to the Los Angeles Clippers. The early returns from the trade show indicate that both teams should be more than satisfied with this decision. However, NBA analyst Bill Simmons believes there will be only one winner in this transaction, and that it will become painfully evident at some point.
The Cavs might end up regretting trading for James Harden
Simmons and his guard Zach Lowe awarded some "made-up NBA awards" on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons podcast, and that included the "Most Fun" trade of the season. Amidst a variety of nominees, both Lowe and Simmons chose the Harden-for-Garland swap, with the added prediction that one of the two teams will regret this deal down the line.
The risks for the Cavaliers were crystal clear. They were acquiring a player who was a decade older, had a history of underperforming in the playoffs, and had jumped ship every time things got tough or his money was at risk. Garland might've only needed a change of scenery and a backcourt of his own to be back on his upward trajectory. So far, it certainly looks like that.
Nevertheless, doing the same thing time and time again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Even if it was a toss-up, the Cavaliers needed to shake things up to a) figure out how close they truly were to a championship and b) let Donovan Mitchell know that they were ready to compete now, not just in the future.
Barring a shocking turn of events or a major string of injuries, Garland will play in the NBA for longer than Harden. He may never be as decorated or impactful as the future first-ballot Hall of Famer, but logic states that he will have more years to play for a championship.
That doesn't necessarily mean that whatever time they can get with Harden pulling the strings of the offense can't be great. Past playoff woes aside, Harden is one of the best playmakers and three-level scorers of his generation. He's durable, and he still has plenty left in the tank.
While history suggests that one of these sides will ultimately come to regret this move -- and Harden has a history of burning bridges with his team -- this could also be one of the rare cases when everybody wins. These teams and players were in different places, and this trade may have given all parties the fresh start they needed.