Grading the Cleveland Cavaliers Trade for James Harden

It’s official, the Cleveland Cavaliers have made the biggest move of the trade deadline so far acquiring James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second round pick.

Reaction on social media seems to be a mixed bag, with plenty of reasons to celebrate, and plenty of reasons to be disappointed.

Here’s a list of pros and cons from the league-altering trade, and a final grade to see just how good of a move this was for Cleveland.

Pros

This is a move that helps Cleveland win right now. Darius Garland has been holding the team back with injury all season long. He’s been in and out of the lineup, and the Cavaliers have constantly had to make last minute decisions on who is playing.

Harden is a much more available player. He has played in at least 70 games in each of the past two seasons, and hasn’t missed much time before the trade (though he will likely miss a game or two during the moving process).

With Garland, there was growing concern he’d still be unavailable during the playoff season, or at least consistently battling injury and never getting back to full strength. Harden allows for a playoff push now, with Cleveland keeping Donovan Mitchell and their front court intact.

Harden is a better scorer, averaging seven more per night than Garland this season. He’ll be able to take some pressure off Mitchell, while still being second in the NBA in assists per game this season. In theory, he should be able to be a primarily ball handler along with Mitchell, and be able to feed Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen for a balanced offense.

Neither player was a particularly good defender, but Harden’s size makes him easier to hide in a defensive scheme. Teams attacked Garland because they knew he couldn’t contest someone 6’5” or above. Harden can contest most guards and even forwards, though he isn’t efficient while doing it. It’s a slight upgrade for Cleveland.

Cons

Harden is a decade older than Garland. This move is extremely short-sighted, expecting the Cavaliers to win now rather than trying to continue developing Garland for the future. 

They are two players with incredibly similar skill sets, though Harden’s is much more refined. Garland’s skills can only improve though, while Harden’s will go on the decline soon.

Harden’s had a hard time sticking to a team in recent years. He has played for five different teams in the last six years, and likely will be heading elsewhere before he retires. At best, Cleveland may get him until he turns 40 in three years.

He hasn’t won much more than Garland in his career. Harden has only made the finals once, when he was a sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder early in his career. His Rockets were never able to get the job done, paired with Mitchell who has struggled to make a playoff run, there will be skepticism in the playoffs.

The team will have to restart with some of the chemistry. Cleveland was just starting to find its rhythm, and now they’ll be figuring out how to work with a new ball-dominant teammate. Expect a slight dip in production, and some efficiency struggles until Harden and the rest of the Cavs figure out how to play together.

Garland will likely be able to recover from his injury in the next year. When he does that, expect a return to an All-Star caliber player. Meanwhile, Harden has likely seen his final years as an All-Star already. A huge chunk of how this trade will be viewed in the future all depends on Garland’s recovery, or if Cleveland wins a chip right now.

Overall grade

This trade is a solid B for the Cavaliers. It speeds up their championship window, but also makes the window close much faster.

Cleveland is in win now mode, and anything less than a finals appearance may be a disappointment. Cleveland may not be done making moves before the trade deadline though, so their championship window may still be varying.