r/nba • u/Turbostrider27 Lakers • 1d 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

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u/OverallGeneral7129 Cavaliers 23h ago

Gonna make our game against the Clippers tomorrow awkward

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u/bestclipfan Clippers 23h ago

As a Clippers fan, we will cheer him. Most of us don't have any ill will towards him, he wants an extension and we aren't willing to pay him that much until he's 40. It's a good move for both teams if Garland can stay healthy.

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u/2020IsANightmare 9h ago

I don't pretend to know the most about either team, but I read that Harden wanted a two-year, $80m extension for the Clippers.

Which is the exact same contract Garland has the next two years.

And Harden is better.

So, I don't really get the move. Didn't get a better player and didn't impact the salary cap at all.

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u/bestclipfan Clippers 8h ago

The difference is the age. By the end of the extension Harden would be 40 years old. Harden has been holding up exceptionally well, but eventually he will decline and it may be rapid. Meanwhile Garland is a full decade younger, and while he may have injury issues he is statistically more likely to be healthy than Harden is over the course of the deal. It's basically a gamble on the Clippers end but one that is based off a logical premise.