James Harden Denies Speculation That He Asked Clippers for Trade to Cavaliers

All-Star guard James Harden on Tuesday was dealt to the Cavaliers on a day that saw a flurry of deals across the NBA just two days before its trade deadline. Cleveland acquired Harden in exchange for two-time All-Star Darius Garland and a second round pick. There was some speculation that Harden, who has at times had icy relations with front offices and will be playing for his sixth different team in the Cavaliers, had asked the Clippers for a trade.

Harden denied that that was the case while speaking to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

“That wasn't the case at all,” Harden told Shelburne. “In life, not even just basketball, when things don't work out, there are ways to end things in relationships without having to crack each other. 'OK, maybe we just don't see a future with each other. Maybe we just outgrew each other.'

“Whatever the case may be. I feel like our situations weren't like that. And that's why I can respect Steve [Steve Ballmer] and L [Lawrence Frank] and TLu [Tyronn Lue] because they didn't put me in a weird position as much as everybody tried to make it like that.”

Rumors of a potential Clippers’ trade of Harden were first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. While Harden says he didn’t request a trade, he did work alongside the Clippers to facilitate a deal, as Shelburne notes. Because of the one-year bird restriction in his contract, effectively a no-trade clause, Harden was working from a position of power in discussions with Los Angeles.

The result was an effective compromise, one that saw the Cavaliers net a future Hall of Famer and the Clippers land one of the more underrated point guards in the NBA in Garland. And Harden, 36, gets the chance to win his first championship going from the Clippers (23-26) to the Cavaliers (30-21).

“I wanted them to actually have a chance to rebuild and get some draft capital," Harden said. "...I see an opportunity to win in the East. They got a very good team, coaching staff, all of the above. So as much as I wanted to stay in L.A. and give it a go, I've never won one before. As a basketball mind, I think we have a bit better chance.”

Harden is a three-time scoring champion and the 2017-18 MVP. He ranks ninth on the NBA’s all-time points list, 12th on the all-time assists list and second on the all-time three-pointers made list. In his 17th season, Harden is averaging 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 44 contests.

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