James Harden is gone, again, making the Cleveland Cavaliers the sixth stop of his NBA career.
The LA Clippers traded Harden to the Cavaliers on February 3rd for 26-year-old two-time All-Star Darius Garland and a second-round pick. While Harden helped orchestrate one of the most improbable turnarounds in NBA history, he could have easily signed elsewhere this summer by declining his player-option, which would have left the Clippers with nothing. It was wise to not hold on to him through his expressed desires.
There has been an obvious pattern instilled in James Harden's history
Let's review James Harden's greatest hits of asking out:
Houston, Round 1: Demanded the Rockets trade for Dwight Howard. Didn't work. Made a recruitment effort for Chris Paul, who tweaked his hamstring against the Golden State Warriors. He then, however, requested that they trade for Russell Westbrook, which also failed. When none of his handpicked co-stars delivered a championship, Harden showed up to training camp and forced his way out.
Brooklyn: Teamed up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in what was supposed to be a super team. Got hurt in the playoffs, couldn't deliver, and called for another trade after just one season.
Philadelphia: Folded in the playoffs yet again, made his opinion on Daryl Morey public in an Adidas event in China, and refused to show up until the 76ers shipped him to the LA Clippers.
LA: Spent a year and a half saying all the right things. Then demanded a trade the moment the Clippers refused to give a 36-year-old a massive contract extension.
The Clippers were playing for nothing
Let's be brutally honest about what the LA Clippers were actually competing for during their 17-4 run. At best, they were fighting for the seventh or eighth seed, which meant a play-in game followed by a first-round matchup against Oklahoma City, Denver, or San Antonio. They weren't serious championship contenders; they were a feel-good story desperately trying to salvage a disastrous season.
Harden knew this. He saw the ceiling. And rather than stick around for one more playoff run on a team that believed in him, he demanded out because he wanted his money.
Why the Clippers won the James Harden trade
Getting Darius Garland and a second-round pick for a 36-year-old is highway robbery. Garland is 26 with two All-Star appearances already. When healthy, he is one of the best, young point guards in the NBA.
However, the contract situation alone makes this trade a win. James Harden wanted an extension that would have crippled the LA Clippers' financial flexibility through 2027 and beyond, while Garland has two more seasons left at reasonable money. Thus, the long-term plan of building a strong core is still intact, it just began early, out of the blue.
Acquiring Garland follows the buy-low ideology. He's going to average 20+ and 8+ assists if he plays 35 minutes, and the Clippers have him under control until 2028. Harden was a nice fit on the team but this immediately makes the Clippers significantly younger and meets the timeline with their core.
James Harden's last season in LA will always be remembered
Despite the narratives on James Harden, you have to admit the dude is a basketball savant and an iron man. He played nearly every night, ran the offense brilliantly, and seemed genuinely invested in the LA Clippers' success.
That's what makes this sting. Not the trade itself, which is objectively good for the Clippers' future. But the fact that Harden's last season with the Clippers was unique.
At one point, he was the only source of entertainment on the Clippers' roster. He broke the franchise record for points, and soon after, the Clippers found a way to make a legitimate playoff push. It is unfortunate the reason it did not work out was money, and that in the end, the former MVP had different priorities.
The Clippers' long-term vision was the ultimate winner
Lawrence Frank and the LA Clippers' front office deserve credit for not caving to James Harden's extension aspirations. They could have panicked, given him the money, and mortgaged the future for another play-in appearance. Instead, they flipped him for a 26-year-old All-Star and maintained their goals.
Fetching Garland and a 2nd rounder is better than letting Harden go for free this summer. The path was easy for him, and another team would have easily paid him what he ultimately wished for from Lawrence Frank.
Now the Clippers have a young point guard who can run pick-and-rolls with Ivica Zubac, space the floor with elite shooting, and grow alongside whatever core they build in 2027. They avoided handcuffing themselves to a superstar whose best basketball is a decade behind him.
Harden gave the Clippers years of brilliant regular season basketball. But he wanted something different, yet again, proving that when things don't go exactly his way, he's gone. The Clippers got out at exactly the right time, and somehow got paid handsomely to do it.