In a surprising growth simply forward of the NBA trade deadline Thursday, star guard James Harden is on his way out of Los Angeles.
Harden, who has missed the previous two video games for private causes, based on the staff, helped lead the Clippers again into the playoff image after a 6-21 begin. They’re 23-26 and in ninth within the Western Convention.
Harden, 36, has been traded 4 occasions in his profession, three of which came after trade requests: from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets (2021); Nets to Philadelphia 76ers (2022); after which 76ers to Clippers (2023). Harden is averaging 25.4 factors per sport this season, his highest since his ultimate full season in Houston in 2020-21. He has performed 44 video games and is averaging 35.4 minutes.
Why did Harden and the Clippers half methods? And what does Harden’s potential departure imply for LA’s future? Our NBA insiders reply the most important lingering questions:
So what’s subsequent for the Clippers?
As lately as two weeks in the past, Harden was speaking about how “blessed” he felt to have the ability to play in his hometown at this stage of his profession. By all accounts, the sensation was mutual with the group.
Harden was well-liked in LA and extra productive than anybody would’ve anticipated after how his time in Philadelphia ended. The issue is, he is 36 and as a consequence of make the sort of wage the perfect participant on a contender makes, not that of an ageing famous person on a staff that has most likely missed its championship window.
Shifting Harden, and getting Darius Garland, offers the Clippers one thing of a future.
Which is saying one thing contemplating how bereft of draft picks and promising youthful gamers the Clippers are.
It isn’t clear the place this would depart Kawhi Leonard, 34, who has helped lead the Clippers again to the playoff chase after their horrible begin. — Ramona Shelburne
And what’s subsequent for the Cavaliers?
In two trades that pierced the second apron’s tried lock on high-spending groups, the Cavs completely renovated their backcourt in an try to higher help franchise participant Donovan Mitchell.
The Harden acquisition is really an surprising twist, Harden selecting to go away his hometown staff amid an inspiring season-turning scorching streak — and the Cavs shifting on from a decade youthful, multi-time All-Star who’s below contract for a number of seasons.
However the Cavs clearly did not suppose they have been ok this season and Harden, regardless of his age, has demonstrated he’s dependable and may put up massive numbers in massive minutes whereas Garland has battled quite a few accidents. Determining methods to share the ball with Mitchell goes to take time, however Harden has loads of expertise navigating midseason trades.
The Cavs are making two issues clear:
1. They’re all-in on 2026, which makes some sense contemplating they want Mitchell to signal an extension this summer season and the East is perceived as being broad open (apologies to Detroit).
2. They’re not valuable about their “core 4” (RIP). Meaning they won’t be achieved, and seeing as they’ve not less than had some conversations about Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis, sources mentioned, they need to be thought of motivated to maintain taking a look at strikes.
They’re nonetheless second-apron restricted, so such an enormous deal would require money-dumping machinations, possible together with shifting off the wage of Lonzo Ball, however the Cavs’ aggression shouldn’t be underestimated at this juncture. — Brian Windhorst
What was the scene inside Intuit Dome on Monday evening?
Harden was nowhere to be discovered, lacking his second consecutive sport for what the staff known as private causes. That he had maybe performed his final sport for the Clippers, although, was not a secret on the ground.
Gamers from each groups, the Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers, whispered concerning the scenario earlier than the sport and even chatted earlier than tip concerning the idea of him ending up in Cleveland. With a handful of Clippers gamers sporting Harden’s signature sneakers (which is regular), LA fell down 16-2, trying flat out of the gate.
It was the second evening of a back-to-back, and that occurs, however Harden’s tenure in LA was marked by him carrying the staff by way of robust occasions. It felt as if the staff was expressing itself realizing what was happening. — Windhorst
What is the early chatter throughout the NBA?
The principle response across the league is questioning what’s subsequent for Cleveland.
That the Cavaliers moved on from certainly one of their “core 4” gamers is a pointy departure from how they’ve operated the previous few years, after they’ve constructed all the things with the mindset of constructing round Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
This transfer is a recognition of their disappointing season, which has seen them hovering within the decrease half of the East playoff image for just about all of it – after coming into the season being, at worst, co-favorites to win the East.
From a expertise standpoint, although, the response is nearly universally in Cleveland’s favor. Harden is perhaps a decade older, however he is been unequivocally higher – and more healthy – this season.
That mentioned, given Harden’s leverage to carry up a commerce, there’s curiosity across the league as to what a possible contract for Harden would possibly seem like this summer season when he can develop into a free agent if he turns down his participant possibility for subsequent 12 months. — Tim Bontemps
What are the contract ramifications of this deal?
There are two wage cap mechanisms that get finalized on this James Harden-for-Darius Garland commerce.
The primary is that Harden will waive his one-year chook restriction. The de facto no-trade clause is a results of Harden signing a two-year contract with the Clippers within the offseason that contained a participant possibility.
The second is Harding having a 15% commerce bonus in his contract that’s valued at $2.3M. As a result of the Cavaliers are a second-apron staff and never allowed to take again further wage within the commerce, Harden might want to scale back the bonus to $266,397. — Bobby Marks
What does it imply for Harden’s legacy that he is being traded for what could be the fifth time in his profession?
Welcome to fashionable stardom. Via the Nineties, simply two MVPs had performed for greater than three groups throughout their careers: Moses Malone (seven, plus two extra within the ABA) and Bob McAdoo (seven). Since Shaquille O’Neal performed for six groups, bouncing to 4 in as many seasons on the finish of his profession, that is been as a lot the rule because the exception.
Harden’s former Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant has performed for 5 groups, albeit with solely two trades within the combine. And Russell Westbrook, his teammate with the Thunder, Houston Rockets and LA Clippers, is on staff quantity seven. Though it is easy to pin this to the so-called “participant empowerment” period, the fact can also be that groups are faster to maneuver on from ageing stars with excessive salaries than they as soon as had been.
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Having Harden come full circle to complete his profession with the hometown Clippers was a pleasant storyline, and definitely a extra romantic one than Harden going to the Cavaliers with no explicit tie to the group aside from its historical past of serving as a late-era cease for itinerant former MVPs O’Neal and Derrick Rose.
Nonetheless, the distinction between Harden (and Westbrook) and Durant is that he belongs to a particular franchise. Irrespective of what number of groups Harden finally ends up taking part in for, even when he wins an elusive championship elsewhere, he’ll all the time be remembered as a member of the Houston Rockets. Harden is the franchise chief in 3s, assists and triple-doubles whereas rating second behind fellow MVP Hakeem Olajuwon in scoring.
The eight full seasons Harden spent in Houston, leading to an MVP and two journeys to the convention finals, might be his lasting legacy. — Kevin Pelton
What does Harden carry to Cleveland at age 36?
One irony of Harden’s commerce request was that he is taking part in his finest basketball in years.
The 2017-18 NBA MVP is posting his highest scoring common and utilization price since he left Houston half a decade in the past, and he is certainly one of simply 4 gamers this season — together with Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Cade Cunningham — averaging not less than 25 factors and eight assists per sport.
And whereas he is not fairly as environment friendly from the sphere as he was at his peak, he compensates by drawing a ton of fouls. Amongst high-usage stars, Harden has a better true taking pictures proportion than Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown and Devin Booker.
In different phrases, Harden continues to be an offensive engine unto himself, with superior stats that place him within the vary of Kevin Durant — one other veteran nonetheless excelling into his late 30s — by way of offensive impression.
The Clippers are scoring 120.4 factors per 100 possessions with Harden on the court docket, per databallr, versus simply 109.5 with out him; that is the distinction between a top-three offense and a bottom-three unit. Workforce Harden up with one other star, and the outcomes are even higher: Harden and Kawhi Leonard have a scorching 125.1 offensive score collectively.
Nevertheless, a part of Harden’s legacy is uncertainty over whether or not his statistical renaissance will translate to the postseason. Final season, he scored simply seven factors in a Sport 7 because the Clippers had been eradicated; in 2023-24, he scored 23 mixed factors over the Clippers’ final two losses; and in 2022-23, he scored simply 9 factors in a Sport 7 because the 76ers fell.
Harden can nonetheless assist Cleveland over the subsequent couple of months, particularly as a result of he is virtually all the time accessible: He performed in 44 of the Clippers’ first 47 video games this season earlier than lacking the final two. However the Cavs had higher be capable to depend on different scorers as soon as they attain the postseason. — Zach Kram
