The Cleveland Cavaliers have traded point guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick in the 2026 draft to the Los Angeles Clippers for 11-time All-Star James Harden. Multiple sources, including ESPN’s Shams Charania, say that this deal was done before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. Harden, who gave up his no-trade clause to make the deal happen, is now on a Cavaliers team that wants to make the Eastern Conference playoffs.
This season, Harden, who is 36 years old, is averaging about 22 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds. This is his highest-scoring year since 2020. He and Donovan Mitchell make up a strong backcourt for Cleveland (30-21 record), which wants to avoid the Play-In and chase contention. Garland, who was an All-Star twice and had a career-high 20.6 points and 6.7 assists last season, is going to the Clippers (23-26), who are still in the running for a spot in the Western Conference play-in.
Harden signed a two-year, $81.5 million deal with the Clippers last summer. It includes a player option for 2026-27 worth $42.3 million, but only part of it is guaranteed. Before agreeing to the trade, he missed the last two games for personal reasons. Garland will still be with the team for two years after this season.
