James Harden Reportedly Sets Date to Debut for Cavaliers

The future Hall of Famer is headed to his sixth team.

James Harden appears set to debut for the Cavaliers this weekend. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cavaliers are scheduled to play the Clippers Wednesday night in Inglewood, Calif.—but Cleveland reportedly will not have the services of its new star guard.

Guard James Harden will debut for the Cavaliers on Saturday against the Kings, according to a Wednesday afternoon report from Chris Haynes of Amazon.

Los Angeles traded Harden, 36, to Cleveland on Tuesday for guard Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick. The future Hall of Famer is averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game this season.

He’ll have large shoes to fill from both a practical and spiritual perspective. Even hindered by injuries this season, Garland—a two-time All-Star—is averaging 18 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. Beyond that, Garland was a well-liked franchise great who departed the Cavaliers ninth on their all-time scoring list.

Harden, on the other hand, is on his fifth team in the past six seasons after a magnificent nine-year tenure with the Rockets. He has been to 11 All-Star Games and made eight All-NBA teams, and was named the league’s MVP in 2018.

Cleveland, which went 64-18 last season, has struggled to recapture the magic of a year ago in 2026 (though it has improved of late). The Cavaliers are currently 30-21, fifth in the Eastern Conference and tied with the fourth-place Raptors.

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