James Harden-Darius Garland Trade Tanks Clippers' NBA Finals Odds

The Los Angeles Clippers made a blockbuster trade ahead of Thursday's deadline, moving former league MVP James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick.

Garland, a former lottery pick, has multiple seasons left on his current deal and is a much younger player than Harden that could end up being a cornerstone for L.A.'s future plans. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported on Monday night that the two sides were in advanced talks, and the eventually came to fruition on Tuesday night.

BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Prolific swap of the star point guards. pic.twitter.com/IHhhhabJnX
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026

The Clippers got off to a slow start in the 2025-26 season, but they have recently turned things around, winning 16 of their last 20 games to move into the play-in tournament picture in the Western Conference.

Despite that, oddsmakers aren't buying L.A. after this trade. DraftKings Sportsbook has moved the Clippers from +7000 to +10000 to win the NBA Finals over the last 24 hours, a major move considering the team still received an All-Star in return for Harden. The Clippers went from +7000 to +8000 to win the Finals after the rumors started circulating about a Harden-Garland swap, and they fell all the way to +10000 after the deal was agreed upon.

Meanwhile, Cleveland has moved to the favorite in the odds to win the Finals out of the Eastern Conference after acquiring Harden.

Garland's injury issues may be a big reason why the betting market has cooled on the Clippers this season. The star guard missed part of Cleveland's playoff run in the 2024-25 season with a toe injury, and he had offseason surgery to repair the issue. This season, multiple toe issues have limited Garland to just 26 games. He is averaging 18.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3.

Harden, on the other hand, played in 44 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 5.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from 3.

L.A. still has All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, who has been one of the best players in the West this season, and it's possible he could carry this team even if Garland isn't a consistent fixture in Los Angeles' rotation the rest of the season.

Ideally, Garland will be able to return to his All-Star form for the Clippers to give them a chance to capture a top-six seed in the West. Los Angeles is currently 6.5 games back of the No. 6 seed, and it would need to continue this red-hot stretch to earn a playoff spot without having to go through the play-in tournament.

Garland is under contract for two more seasons beyond the 2025-26 campaign, giving the Clippers future money on their books, something they didn't have with Harden. Cleveland will have Harden for this season and the former league MVP has a player option in the 2026-27 season.

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