At the February trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers had their eyes set on the short term, which is primarily why Darius Garland and a second-round pick were dealt for James Harden. Though Cleveland didn’t win a ring as they had planned, the Harden-led Cavaliers still went to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018.
However, in the moment, the Cavaliers likely didn’t stop to consider the rippling effect of trading Garland. Well, their front office is feeling the pain now; according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the 26-year-old, two-time All-Star had a “years-long relationship” with LeBron James, as they are both represented by Klutch Sports. His move to the LA Clippers impacted the four-time MVP's decision not to reunite with Cleveland.
James Harden being Cleveland’s guard affected LeBron’s decision to go to Philly, per @WindhorstESPN
— SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) July 25, 2026
“It's not that the Cavs having Harden was a factor, but rather who the Cavs did not have. To get Harden from the LA Clippers in February, the Cavs traded Darius Garland, a… pic.twitter.com/k8KqOHghUW
So, not only did the Cavaliers fail their mission to win right away with Harden, but moving on from Garland did the organization a disservice in their pursuit of James, who would’ve instantly made them title-favorites had they signed him in free agency.
Trading Darius Garland was a massive mistake by the Cavaliers’ front office
Right away, when the trade went down, the package looked like a win for the LA Clippers and a loss for the Cleveland Cavaliers. There was no sense in moving a point guard so young that he has yet to hit his prime, and a second-round pick, for a 36-year-old James Harden, who had a reputation of collapsing in the postseason.
To no surprise, Harden did not play well, and on the other side of things, though the Clippers didn’t even enter the playoffs, Garland had one of his best games of the year in the play-in tournament. This showed Lawrence Frank and the front office that his future is extremely bright, and that they did an excellent job of acquiring him at the deadline.
Months later, when you consider the fact that shipping away Garland hurt their chances of securing LeBron James in an offseason where they needed to improve drastically, especially with how much stronger the Eastern Conference has gotten, the decision to do so looks significantly worse.
To add insult to injury, the Cavaliers are stuck paying fully guaranteed $272 million over the next four seasons, and have yet to pay Harden, a player they need to re-sign no matter what.
That looks like a poorly executed summer, and it began by cutting ties with Garland in February.
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