The Beard and the Spider team up in the Land
James Harden has been traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick. This marks Harden’s sixth team in the league, and his fourth since being traded from Houston just 5 seasons ago. Does this desperate grab to keep Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland also signify waving the white flag in LA?
The Clippers have been cooking since Kawhi Leonard came back, with 17 wins in their last 21 games, making this move a little perplexing at first. Harden’s contract ends after this season, and if he was looking for a guaranteed salary that the Clippers weren’t willing to pay, that may have motivated the search for a new home. Indeed, reports indicate this was a mutual parting of ways, despite the veteran guard making multiple claims this season about feeling “at home” in the city of angels.
In return, LA gets a much younger Darius Garland. And while the second-round pick tagged on tells you all you need to know about which team got the better player, Garland is just a few years removed from an All-Star selection and ready to move into the prime of his career. His pass-first nature means he won’t be taking as many shots away from Kawhi, and his push-the-pace style of play could speed up a Clippers team currently ranked bottom three in the league. Although his nagging toe injury is something to look out for.
So, despite being a worse player on paper, at only 26 years old and with room to improve, Garland gives this franchise a potential future direction after they were seemingly unwilling to go all-in on the final years of James Harden’s career.
Clipper trade grade: B
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, had essentially the opposite mindset. In an attempt to keep Mitchell happy, they traded for a much older player and entered a pseudo “win now” timeline. Harden will be asked to shoulder some of the offensive load alongside Mitchell, something Garland wasn’t comfortable doing, while still dishing out assists. This season, Cleveland has needed a superhuman scoring effort from Mitchell to be victorious, and when that didn’t happen they simply couldn’t score enough points. Harden’s ability to take over a game should help them win some of those games. I also expect Harden’s eyes to light up at having so many lob threats after what felt like playing with a retirement home in LA.
There’s no denying Cleveland got better. Harden is averaging more in every major statistical category than his trade counterpart and becomes the team’s second option. The question is, is he enough to make them contenders? It’s possible that Harden’s playmaking unlocks a new level to Evan Mobley. Or that his scoring gives Mitchell less burden and more energy to close out big games. But ultimately, I don’t think so. They’ll win more regular season games, sure, but that has never been Cleveland’s problem. They need a way to best teams like Detroit and OKC, and Harden’s disappointing playoff performances just won’t cut it.
Having said that, I don’t think they gave up too much in Garland for a chance to contend, particularly if they keep making improving moves. Watch out for trades pushing the team into a more official “win now” state before the trade deadline on Thursday.
Cavaliers trade grade: B+ (IF they make further trades)
