James Harden’s time with the Los Angeles Clippers is over after two and a half seasons.
Harden has been traded to Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that sends Darius Garland to the Clippers, per Shams Charania of ESPN:
Charania added later on SportsCenter that Harden and Donovan Mitchell “have already connected and James Harden has spoken with Donovan Mitchell and both seem very excited about this partnership.”
The Cavs aren’t done, either, as the team is “still working towards finding a trade partner to assume Lonzo Ball’s $10 million salary,” per NBA insider Jake Fischer.
Harden, 36, is playing this season under a $39.2 million cap hit. He holds a $42.3 million player option for 2026-27.
The veteran guard has so far enjoyed a resurgent season in Los Angeles, where he averaged 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field through 44 contests.
He missed the last two games for what the Clippers described as “personal reasons.”
That production had been a bright spot in what has otherwise been a difficult season for the Clippers that was marred by a contentious split with former franchise icon Chris Paul. The team currently sits ninth in the West with a 23-26 record.
Further moves could be coming now that the Clippers have parted ways with Harden. Players including Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac have also been tied to potential trade interest from other teams throughout the season.
The Clippers have fallen short of the championship hopes that came with bringing in Leonard ahead of the 2019-20 season. The team hasn’t been past the first round since 2021, and now they’re on track to miss the playoffs altogether this spring.
Los Angeles will hope the return for Harden can help this team begin rebuilding ahead of what could be the start of a new era in 2026-27.
Harden will meanwhile look to extend his 16-year streak of playoff appearances, which dates back to his 2010 run with the Oklahoma City Thunder, by making it to the postseason with his new team this spring.
Harden had the right to veto any trade as part of his contract, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
His acceptance of a move to the Cavaliers could be a sign that he feels this team will give him a shot to compete for the first championship of his career.
The Cavs rank fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 30-21 record so far this season, but they’ve been leaning heavily on Mitchell in the backcourt.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer recently reported that it is believed Mitchell “would welcome the addition of an experienced ballhandler like Harden to ease some of the playmaking burden he has shouldered this season.”
Darius Garland has been limited to just 26 games this season, and he’s been sidelined since Jan. 14.
Bringing in Harden in exchange for Garland not only potentially gives the Cavs some backcourt help for Mitchell and potentially a more consistent contributor than Garland, but also gives Cleveland some more cap flexibility in the future.
Harden has a player option for his age-37 season in 2026-27, so he’ll arrive in Cleveland on a potentially expiring contract as he looks to help the Cavs make a playoff push this spring.