How Donovan Mitchell Reportedly Asked Cavaliers for James Harden Trade

The biggest trade in the Cavaliers' recent history went down on Tuesday night, as Cleveland sent two-time All-Star Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for 11-time All-Star and 2018 NBA MVP James Harden.

The history dates back to when Cleveland traded for then Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell in September of 2022. The backcourt of 10 (Garland) and Spida was formed, with the Cavs also inheriting an immense amount of pressure to win the title.

Cleveland was not able to get over the hump with Mitchell and Garland in the backcourt, though, failing to even reach an Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland sat around .500 earlier this year at 20-17, that was when Cleveland team president Koby Altman reportedly held a staff-wide Zoom meeting with the entire basketball operations team.

Some members of the team pushed for the Cavs to make changes immediately and stop blaming injuries for their shortcomings.

According to Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, two separate league sources confirmed that Mitchell asked for Harden.

How Mitchell asked for Harden to join Cavs

“Two league sources also said Mitchell specifically wanted Harden, who is 6-foot-5, durable and comfortable as a pass-first point guard.”

While some may think the trade was potentially unnecessary or an act of desperation, it was clear that Cleveland has been feeling the pressure of not performing up to standards. The injuries being a shortcoming for the Cavs was not deniable, but for the team, it was time stop falling back on that excuse.

It seems to be the reason Cleveland has broken up their Core Four of Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Garland. And why the team has been so aggressive leading up to this year’s trade deadline, with trading Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and possibly Allen.

The moves Cleveland has made so far will also save them money, as the Hunter move created $50 million in salary and tax penalties, and Harden is on the last year of his deal with a player option next season, which he can opt out of and potentially take less money on a long-term deal.

There are other reports that say that Mitchell did not put pressure on the team, along with saying that the Zoom call did not happen.

Whether that is true or not, Cleveland was not taking a lax approach to this trade deadline, along with building up money for the free agency period, where the team could eye a LeBron reunion as a possibility.