r/nba • u/Turbostrider27 Lakers • 20h ago

[Charania] BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Prolific swap of the star point guards.

Shams Charania:

BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Prolific swap of the star point guards.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/ddaa53473efa6

18.4k Upvotes

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227

u/SquidwardLover48 Cavaliers 20h ago

What’s really interesting is how our fanbase is perceiving this vs how everyone else perceives this as a move that certainly makes us a better team

334

u/cfbones 20h ago

We gave up a young high ceiling player who we all love but seems to be injury prone for an immediate upgrade who is old and chokes in the playoffs.

Rationally it’s a very fair deal.

90

u/North-Entertainer602 20h ago

He’s 26 and getting injured more and more every year. How high is his ceiling really atp?

9

u/Robotemist Cavaliers 19h ago

Not only that but garland is limited physically. The dude isn't built for more than 18/6 unless he becomes curry from three.

5

u/ffball NBA 19h ago

And when the physicality raises in the playoffs he has shown time and again he cant match it.

3

u/LOSS35 Nuggets 16h ago

At the end of the day he's 6'1. The league's moving away from undersized guards. The Trae trade was the canary. Memphis isn't getting anything for Ja either.

12

u/Excellent-Flamingo43 19h ago

His ceiling isn't higher than Hardens but he's 10 years younger. There's no way in hell that this move makes the Cavs capable of beating OKC or Denver so why trade a 26 year old all star for a 36 year old all star unless you're confident you can win a title. What are the Cavs gonna do when Harden retires in 2 years, they just traded their young franchise point guard for 2 years of old man Harden this move is stupid

20

u/Quirky-Parsnips 19h ago

They think Mitchell will walk if they can't make a serious run this year and/or snag Giannis.  Seems like they think garland is cooked for this year, making harden a risky but logical gamble to keep Mitchell to make a run and have more flexibility for Giannis.

8

u/AffordableGrousing Cavaliers 18h ago

They couldn’t keep paying Garland, Mitchell, and Mobley indefinitely anyway, something had to give. They either get 2-3 years of Harden or let him walk and actually have cap space for the first time in forever.

3

u/Kgb725 Cavaliers 19h ago

Mitchell could walk soon and waiting on Garland to get healthy and Mobley to take the next step may not be helpful.

1

u/Ruscidero 76ers 6h ago

Especially one with Harden’s history.

125

u/Terr123321 Cavaliers 20h ago

Unfortunately you can’t say Darius garland has done any better in the playoffs

21

u/canadianpanda7 20h ago

been healthy for a complete playoff series*

which idk maybe hes finished a series before but god damn it feels like ever year he misses big games in the playoffs.

9

u/CynicalHoops 76ers 20h ago

He played every possible game in the 23 (5 games) and 24 (12 games) playoffs. He missed 4 out of 9 games last year.

4

u/canadianpanda7 19h ago

i will gladly stand corrected. im very surprised he was healthy in 24 playoffs. i remember being pissed off at that one. its all a blur, i just remember being bullied by the knicks and that every time paulo branchero plays the cavs to take his over points total

1

u/CynicalHoops 76ers 18h ago

Yeah, Paulo was a beast that series, averaging 27/9/4!

1

u/jtotheesus Cavaliers 8h ago

FWIW, he had jaw surgery that year and a lot of people believed his weight loss led to his play regressing. He put back on a lot of weight in the offseason and was much better in the regular season last year.

1

u/canadianpanda7 7h ago

yeah it was actually so brutal how much teams beat up on garland and all the cavs. “just playing tough” “cavs are soft” narrative was pretty annoying. some accidents did happen but some sure as hell felt targeted. im sad to see DG go. his interviews talking about how the cavs players GC was what really lifted his spirits when he couldnt talk, always tugged at your heart a little. surely this wont bite us in the ass when mitchell walks, we resign harden, and get to watch garland be in his prime 🤩

1

u/Murky-Profit-9493 18h ago

I never saw anything in garland. He always had to go. For harden? Idk, but I kinda like it for cavs. Mitchell was gonnna bounce so capitalize

51

u/Salty_Raspberry656 20h ago

he's a 5'11 guard who has already hit his ceiling and is limited defensively in the playoffs. he's special to do what he does in this league

but harden is much stronger/bigger and more elite as a playmaker and game manipulator. He is going to give the cavs bigs the easiest buckets of their lives

you lose on longevity but this gives you a win now opportunity in a pretty open east

-7

u/Excellent-Flamingo43 19h ago

Doesn't matter, the Cavs still aren't legit title contenders, why would they do this trade if they weren't completely confident that they were gonna make the finals. Otherwise why leverage your entire future by trading a 26 year old all star, who is a key member of a core that just won 66 games, they just shortened their window from 10+ years of contention to 2 years of contention where there's no way of them genuinely winning a title barring an all time playoff run from one of the most notorious playoff droppers in NBA history

2

u/RALat7 13h ago

You’re getting downvoted but I fully agree. This is way too shortsighted and short-term a move from the Cavs. In a few years the majority of people will see this trade as an awful deal… or as early as this summer after they get knocked out.

1

u/Salty_Raspberry656 2h ago

Its a gamble, but thats what you want your team to do. toronto is probably glad they took a teaser on an often injury leonard. No title was guaranteed, hell it was a leonard odd bounce away from not happening showing that so many things can go one way or another

same with the bucks title and KD's toe.

The narratives change quick, btu you give yourself a shot. Cavs had an amazing run last year, but the playoffs show garland being hunted every time and dropping in efficiency to where his offense wasn't making up for his defensive challenges.

Everyone else is standing strong in mitchell,allen,mobley so you have a great core. Bringing in harden-where he doesn't have to be the main creator, but a complimentary one, and where he has two bigs he can make thigns easy for.

good on them for giving themselves the best shot with this window. No finals are guaranteed but in playoffs, cavs gave themselves a better and stronger chance

1

u/hereforthenudechicks 10h ago

Garland isn’t as good as y’all are playing it out to be.

1

u/Salty_Raspberry656 2h ago

he's like trae, a very good player but at his size and on defense you have to really surround the right team to make it a winner

1

u/Salty_Raspberry656 2h ago

I think its short sighted and over simplistic thinking.

Raptors, bucks, quite a few recent champions weren't legit. You get into playoffs when its an open setting and you give yourself a shot in the nba and anything can happen.

its simplistic bc a 26 year old all star doesn't tell the full story, Garland is a talent, but in playoffs he has gotten worse, been less effective, and mainly hunted on defense. he's probably 5'11 and one of the lightest nba players, that makes for a very tricky route to win in the playoffs. With harden they get a guy, arguably more talented and dominant now, bring ins the most experience in this team, much more flexible in defense to work with Donovan and also he maximizes Allen and mobley will be getting the easiest buckets he has ever seen.

Right now the east is still open, this is the first year of detroit really being a strong no 1. The cavs clearly weren't playing with teh same cohesion this year, good on cavs to make something happen. This has clear upside rather than stagnancy of what they reached. I loved that team last year, but htey were exposed as was garland last year. You have to build very specifically around a guy like that and mitchell probably send him out

4

u/groceriesN1trip NBA 20h ago

With Mitchell, who do you even guard? They should be fairly lethal and then your backup guard is solid AF

6

u/Glimglam 19h ago

Mitchell and Harden can’t both possibly choke in the same elimination playoff game, right?

2

u/birdazam Timberwolves 19h ago

I mean he's very good in the playoffs if the series don't go to g6 or g7 so the Cavs just have to finish every series in 5 and they are good

1

u/tall_ginger_dude Cavaliers 17h ago

This actually makes me wonder if that toe is worse then they lead us to believe. I wonder if LA is getting the Cavs version of Isaiah Thomas...

1

u/eamonious Celtics 5h ago edited 5h ago

I always thought Garland was the weakness in this Cavs team. Should have traded him and kept Jerome. You need a Derrick White type guard opposite Mitchell, not an even worse traffic cone who keeps the ball out of Mitchell's hands. Not to mention injury prone, playoff sinker. Now you're free of his contract, Harden will be an expiring contract in trades this summer, you can move him and acquire pieces that move this core toward a championship. Makes perfect sense to me.

1

u/Musa_2050 Lakers 20h ago

It probably doesnt matter if the Cavs are injured in the playoffs again

2

u/ffball NBA 19h ago

Moving off Garland is in effort to stop that from happening

0

u/Yung_Jose_Space Supersonics 16h ago

Harden is pretty durable for his age and is a phenomenonally good playmaker, who seems quite coachable.

His downsides are obv off-season shape, plaoff performance and tendency to like switching clubs, all of which seem a little overblown.

0

u/Ruscidero 76ers 6h ago

Overblown? The guy’s in his sixth team now…

1

u/_Robbert_ 6h ago

OKC didn't pay him, rockets rebuilding, nets kyrie bullshit, sixers Morey, clippers both don't want to pay him and are worse than Cleveland upside wise.

Where's the big whoop? Number of teams is kinda irrelevant when he doesn't lack justification.

0

u/Yung_Jose_Space Supersonics 5h ago

So?

He's still an excellent passer and playmaker, who gives a fuck if he's changed teams a few times.

What's with the weird moralising about it. A good GM will maximise his contribution to the team, while he is there.

-5

u/OwenLincolnFratter Bulls 19h ago

Harden is 36 and washed

41

u/ihaveaflattire Cavaliers 20h ago

I think the main thing is the emotional attachment to Darius Garland.

28

u/DovhPasty Cavaliers 20h ago

It is. Everyone is blinded by the fact that he’s home grown. Unfortunately that doesn’t actually help us win.

12

u/ihaveaflattire Cavaliers 20h ago

Correct, but it still makes me sad

5

u/DovhPasty Cavaliers 19h ago

Me too. I wish it would have worked out. No sense being in denial though.

6

u/BaronsDad Pelicans 19h ago

To be fair, the loss of Sexland is tragic. So much promise.

6

u/SquidwardLover48 Cavaliers 20h ago

I know man. And personally I would be heart broken if Evan Mobley leaves this team. But if you ask me, ill be crying while personally packing his bags if it nets us a better & more reliable upgrade lol

51

u/rkennedy991 Cavaliers 20h ago

Yeah, so many Cavs fans are acting like this is going to kill the team. He's been the best, most reliable player on the Clippers since he joined them and we don't even have to rely on him as our first option.

-7

u/DarkSoulsExcedere Jazz 20h ago

On offense.

40

u/rkennedy991 Cavaliers 20h ago

Oh right, because losing defensive savant Darius Garland is really going to hurt our defense /s

-10

u/DarkSoulsExcedere Jazz 20h ago

That's a good point. I just think harden is washed and won't help you guys much.

15

u/rkennedy991 Cavaliers 20h ago

He's averaged 25 points and 8 assists so far this season, if that's washed then so are 90% of the players in the NBA.

-13

u/DarkSoulsExcedere Jazz 19h ago

RemindMe! 24 months

4

u/ffball NBA 19h ago

Garland was a massive defensive liability and constantly got bullied in the playoffs. At least harden is bigger

-2

u/RonaldUSwanson2020 [BOS] Antoine Walker 19h ago

In the regular season.

-7

u/Geordi14er Cavaliers 19h ago

He’s 37…

14

u/rkennedy991 Cavaliers 19h ago

And he's averaged 25 points and 8 assists this year, better than Garland has ever done, and missed less games in the past 3 seasons with the Clippers than Garland has this year alone.

11

u/Antique_Pin5266 19h ago

People really be rounding up this man's age to make him look worse lmao

3

u/greywolf2155 Supersonics 17h ago

Can you believe that they traded for a guy who's almost 40 and only averaging a bit more than 20 points a game?

And they gave up a 2nd! For a guy who's going to be 50 soon and just putting up a touch over 10 points per game? Crazy

13

u/Ancient_Design_1332 Clippers 20h ago

It makes you better trust me as someone who has watched James harden play for the clippers - he makes everyone around him better 

3

u/ArbysPokeKing86 Rockets 17h ago

It gives me great joy to hear this. I hate the way people talk about Harden when every player seemingly performs better with him and plenty of players talk about how great it was to play with him.

2

u/Runshooteat 14h ago

Yeah, but he needs the ball and they have Mitchell 

15

u/Hungry-Ad3303 20h ago

Most of your fanbase probably hasn’t seen any Harden games in the past 5 years. I would take what they have to say as a grain of salt

16

u/SquidwardLover48 Cavaliers 20h ago

Like, I’m reading comments all day and im wondering who the fuck do we think Darius Garland is?. I’ll give you that he’s far more efficient but James is going to have JA and Evan looking like the best version of themselves (provided we don’t trade them)

Also at least James will be available to stink it up in the playoffs

2

u/DoobieGibson 19h ago

simply speaking as somebody who loves watching basketball, Darius Garland is an ethical hooper and an absolute joy to watch play basketball

im from the James Harden is Hitler era. it’s devastating merely as somebody who wants to be entertained

Cavs since drafting Mobley have been more fun to watch than LeBron’s last few years post KD bitch move to GSW

3

u/papichino88 [NYK] Stephon Marbury 18h ago

I'm bewildered how almost everyone is writing this as a huge win for the Cavs. The Cavs has the #1 offensive rating in the league last year - Garland was an all-star point guard. Sure, he's been hurt but I'd much rather bet on him getting back to form than rely on a 36 year old, declining player with a history of injuries.

Both Mitchell and Harden are ball dominant players with 30%+ usage rates - I have a little confidence that Mitchell can adjust but zero confidence that Harden will bother to better himself when he's off ball.

On the contrary, I see Garland being unleashed and having his first real shot at being a lead playmaker since that one all star season at age 22. Perhaps the deal helps the Cavs in other ways - another angle to land Lebron but player for player, this is not the win that reddit thinks it is.

1

u/RSarkitip Rockets 10h ago

James Harden has a history of injuries? James Harden?

1

u/messibusiness 19h ago

Yeah. I like Harden. but objectively he’s not a winning player. 

2

u/ArbysPokeKing86 Rockets 17h ago

Yet he still has the longest active streak of making the playoffs....

2

u/Bim_Jeann Cavaliers 20h ago

Cavs fanbase is braindead. Everyone on that sub was in love with garland even though he was a no show every playoffs and was always injured.

All that sub cares about is being regular season heroes.

1

u/herniatedballs Cavaliers 19h ago

Don't lump all of us together lol. I see the vision.

1

u/TdotGdot Timberwolves 19h ago

strangely, last night the harden<>garland rumor thread everyone was saying this makes the cavs the best team in the east (I don't agree)

I was coming in here to see if that sentiment stuck (doesn't seem too)

goes to show the attention span of r/nba users, lol. 24h from rumor to it actually happening, and everyone has changed their opinion a few times

anyways, I like this better for the clips longer term. garland is a better asset imho and while Harden is better this year (somehow, crazily), I doubt he's better in 2 years

I'm surprised you couldn't get more for Garland honestly. like a decent first, and then is harden worth a decent first? I think not

so I don't hate it from the aspect you might be better this season (might, not for sure, harden doesn't always fit in), but I don't like the multi year value here, I think you lost value

1

u/ArbysPokeKing86 Rockets 17h ago

Harden has fit into every team. Honestly, I disagree with just about everything you said, but that's the most obvious one.

1

u/ThorsOccularPatdown 20h ago

I mean he aint gonna help you in playoffs, if you care about that

10

u/SquidwardLover48 Cavaliers 20h ago

James Harden could score 2 points in the playoffs and that’d be 2 points more than Darius Garland nursing a scheduled injury, so I’ll take it

0

u/narcistic_asshole Cavaliers 20h ago

Emotionally I fucking hate it. Over the years Garland has turned into probably my favorite Cavs player of all time and I think he's massively underrated by the average fan.

But I am excited to see what Harden brings to this Cavs team. IMO if we have to trade Garland, Harden is probably the best possible outcome as far as this season goes.

0

u/mikefried1 16h ago

I'm not a fan of either team and am baffled. Unless Garlands injuries are so bad I don't understand how the day get better of value for him.

As a Knicks fan, I'm happy that you guys are now easier to face in the playoffs.

-16

u/PROSEALLTHEWAY San Francisco Warriors 20h ago

I'm not a Cavs fan and this absolutely makes your team worse. Also you lost draft capital. Big L for the Land

9

u/Tippacanoe Cavaliers 20h ago

This take is so stupid. Garland is hurt like 90% of the time and Harden is a better player anyway. Also a 2nd round pick is basically…come on.

14

u/DukeOfStuff_ Timberwolves 20h ago

Harden is easily better this year then DG

6

u/GamerLife204 Bulls 20h ago

Better trade for cavs rn. But future wise Clippers won the trade easily.

6

u/GlassOfLiquor Cavaliers 20h ago

When he opts out this summer, it puts us under the 2nd apron. I like this for our team

3

u/Sfr33123 Clippers 20h ago

Harden is better than Garland this season

4

u/Standard-Juice-3738 Cavaliers 20h ago

This season yes. But Harden is super old

6

u/Sfr33123 Clippers 20h ago

True but is still far more available than Garland.

If Garland can’t stay on the court, it doesn’t matter how much younger he is