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The Cleveland Cavaliers have made one of their biggest win-now moves in franchise history. They’ve officially traded away 26-year-old, two-time All-Star Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for 36-year-old, eight-time All-NBA guard James Harden.
The Cavs will also be sending a second-round pick out in the deal.
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This trade is the most shocking in franchise history, even more so than the Kyrie Irving trade with the Boston Celtics or the move that brought Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland. This exchange will define Koby Altman’s legacy with the team and within the sport of basketball as a whole.
Figuring out the exact calculations that went into a trade can be difficult in the moment. But based on the move, it’s clear that a couple of things appear to be true.
First, Garland’s injuries are a real concern. Foot injuries are tricky. There’s no guarantee that someone like Garland ever fully regains the athleticism he had before the injury. Considering he already is an undersized guard at 6’1”, any loss of athleticism could take him from being a very good starting point guard to being a league-average starter.
As we’ve seen with the underwhelming trade package that sent Trae Young to the Washington Wizards and with Ja Morant’s lack of suitors, there isn’t a market for undersized guards, even if they’re still within their prime years. If you’re concerned about a player losing their value completely, it’s always best to make a move too early as opposed to too late.
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Second, the team is 100% focused on winning now. They’re pushing all of their chips into the middle. A title window next season or the year after isn’t guaranteed. What we do know is that the East is wide open now. The Cavs are betting that this deal vaults them to the front of the pack in the conference.
This move is completely about improving your chances in the playoffs. Garland has not performed to his…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cavs-darius-garland-james-harden-011224282.html
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Publish date : 2026-02-04 01:12:00
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