The Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers wasted no time after the initial James Harden trade reports came to light and have come to an agreement to ship the former MVP to Ohio for Darius Garland and a second-round selection.
It's a deal that certainly wasn't expected after Cleveland’s previous season in which the Cavs were one of the league's top teams.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis season they've failed to duplicate that success, and now they've pivoted to Harden as Garland struggled to stay healthy.
So, let's get into some trade grades.
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Los Angeles Clippers: A
Garland may have struggled to stay healthy this season, but he's 10 years younger than Harden and provides the Clippers with some long-term upside that Harden does not.
This could be the first step for the Clippers to get younger and focus more on the next decade.
The 6-foot-2 Garland is a formidable passer and pull-up scorer, and could easily find himself back in the All-Star conversation in the coming years when his health returns.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOf course, it's concerning the Clippers are seemingly wasting possibly the best season of Kawhi Leonard's career with this new path forward.
Cleveland Cavaliers: B- (but with potential for more)
There's a caveat to this grade.
First off, the Cavs need to go for the whole thing immediately. Not next year. Not in 2028. Now. Right now. Harden, technically, helps with that, and if the Cavs make a strong Finals push with Harden as their lead guard, then this grade improves.
If not, the team is looking at a situation in which Harden can leave this summer, and he turns 37 before the start of next season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMake no mistake: This is a HUGE gamble for the Cavaliers, as relinquishing Garland and potentially losing Harden means the clock will likely start to tick on a possible Donovan Mitchell trade request.
It cannot be overstated how much rides on this season’s success, so while I respect them for the gamble, this could go south — and quite dramatically.
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