How the Cleveland Cavaliers Landed James Harden in Blockbuster Trade

After all the rumors over the last 24 hours, the Cleveland Cavaliers have made the trade with Los Angeles Clippers official.

Jan 19, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) stands on the court prior to the opening tip against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Today has marked the end of Darius Garland's career in Cleveland. After the Cavaliers drafted Garland with the fifth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the All-Star point guard has been sent to a new home in Los Angeles and the Intuit Dome.

The rumor first started not even 24 hours ago that the Cavs were looking to make a trade with the Clippers and a swap of Garland for former NBA MVP and Clippers guard James Harden.

Now, the trade has been finalized.

This is clearly a bold move for the Cavs as they have not had the best first half of the NBA season. They are currently sitting at a 30-21 record. The end of 2025 was not great to them, but as 2026 came around, the team greatly improved.

Full Trade Details

It is a pretty straight forward move between the two teams. The Cleveland Cavaliers traded Darius Garland and a second-round pick for Harden.

Harden and the Clippers worked through his exit over the last few days -- resulting in a beneficial outcome for the sides: A win-now opportunity for Harden playing at a high level at 36 and recent two-time All-Star in Garland at 26 for the Clippers present and future. https://t.co/JM2tYr6lof

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026

A 36-year old Harden had recently looked for a move in the last few days and gets a fresh start now with his sixth NBA team. While the 26-year old Garland gets an opportunity to be the number one player on a team in the future.

The Clippers recently said they do not plan on keeping the current roster they have beyond 2027, giving Garland an opportunity to be the leader of a team in the future.

What Does This Mean For Cleveland's Cap?

It seems that Koby Altman is very focused on trying to keep Donovan Mitchell beyond the end of his contract with him being eligible for an extension worth over $200 million at the end of the 2027 season.

Harden has a contract expiring sooner rather than later. He signed a two year, $81 million contract with the Clippers last year. That included a player option for the second year which is the 2026-2027 season.

Cleveland would likely rather win now and not have to keep that money when that time comes. Letting Harden go after that would move them out of the tax group they are in and give them more leeway in the offseason.

Is This It For The Cavaliers At The Deadline?

As of right now, it seems that the Cavs have more ideas for trades. Altman and his front office seem to be wanting to go all out and get as much as possible right now.

Earlier today the Cavaliers reportedly reached out about Mavericks big Anthony Davis. An opportunity where they could move on from Jarrett Allen.

NBA Insider Brian Windhorst has discussed a multitude of Cavaliers trade ideas and targets they should be looking out for.

There also seems to be some ideas and a chance that Cleveland could try to make a late push for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Odds have increased greatly that Antetokounmpo is going to be moved before the deadline on Thursday.