James Harden Next Team Odds: Cavs, Rockets, Timberwolves Favored to Land Clippers Star

Los Angeles Clippers star guard James Harden could be on the move before Thursday’s deadline, and the leading contenders to add him are starting to come into focus.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported on Monday night that the Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers are nearing a swap that would involve Harden and guard Darius Garland.

A potential Harden trade to Cleveland has impacted the team’s odds for this season, as the Cavs went from +2500 to +2200 to win the NBA Finals.

On Tuesday, DraftKings released odds for Harden’s next team, and the Cavs are the overwhelming favorite. In fact, Cleveland has better odds to end up with the star guard than he has to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers.

While some of the other suitors for Harden aren’t clear, point-guard needy teams like Houston and Minnesota are also atop the list.

James Harden Next Team Odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Cleveland Cavaliers: +140
Los Angeles Clippers: +300
Houston Rockets: +400
Minnesota Timberwolves: +500
Atlanta Hawks: +1400
Charlotte Hornets: +1600
Orlando Magic: +2000
Portland Trail Blazers: +2000
Memphis Grizzlies: +2000
Toronto Raptors: +4000
Los Angeles Lakers: +4000
Golden State Warriors: +4000
Phoenix Suns: +5000
Sacramento Kings: +6000
San Antonio Spurs: +6000
Milwaukee Bucks: +6000
Miami Heat: +6000

Even though there are several teams at shorter than 10/1 to land Harden in the trade market, NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported that both the Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks are not expected to pursue the former league MVP.

Wolves, Hawks not expected to pursue James Harden, per @TheSteinLine, @JakeLFischer.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) February 3, 2026

That really shortens the list to Cleveland, Houston and Los Angeles ahead of the deadline, unless a new Harden team emerges in the next 48 hours. Mannix reported that the Cavs and Clippers are in advanced talks in the Harden deal, but it is worth noting that Cleveland is a second apron team and may need to make another move to allow for the trade to happen.

There also may be another issue in a deal where Harden lands in Cleveland. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Cleveland wants draft compensation in a Garland-Harden swap, something that has been an “obstacle” with the deadline just a few days away.

“As multiple outlets reported, league sources confirmed that the Clippers have had discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers about swapping Harden for 26-year-old former All-Star guard Darius Garland,” Amick wrote. “Yet while league-wide chatter had been emerging recently about the notion of Garland being available — either now or in the offseason — league sources say the Cavaliers have pushed for the Clippers to include significant draft compensation in any such swap. To this point, the sources said, that has been an obstacle in the talks.”

After missing back-to-back games for personal reasons, it’s hard to see Harden returning to the Clippers after the deadline, but if a deal doesn’t materialize, he won’t have a choice. L.A. is still firmly in the mix for a playoff spot despite a slow start to the 2025-26 season.

Harden is no longer the player he was when he won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, but he's still had a strong 2025-26 season, averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from 3.

He’s outplayed Garland, who is much younger to this point, partially due to the Cavs guard dealing with a bunch of injuries. Garland is out with a toe injury at the moment and 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 in 26 games.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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