Why James Harden Will End Up Fitting Into Cleveland Cavaliers’ System Perfectly

The Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to active at the 2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline.

But very few expected the team to make a splash that wasn't for Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Cavaliers engaged in discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers, hoping to secure a deal for veteran guard James Harden. Well, the front office got their wishes, and in the evening hours, a decision was made that would send 26-year-old point guard Darius Garland and a second-rounder to the Clippers in exchange for Harden.

The move, which drew tons of controversy and questions online, was done to hopefully raise the Cavaliers' ceiling as the year draws to a close. After all, Garland's injury troubles were a cause for concern.

He spent most of the 2025-26 campaign fighting to get on the court following multiple lower-body injuries.

However, the underlying concern many people have with the Cavaliers' decision to acquire Harden is built on the notion that he's not a team player. Over the course of his long-winded career, which has somewhat unravelled into a journeyman-type path the past few years, he's been consistently criticized for his lack of passing.

In his first six of seven seasons with the Houston Rockets, while averaging either 30 points a night or just below, he averaged under eight assists a night. The Rockets were never able to get past the Western Conference, with many critics pointing to Harden's inability to involve others in the team's offensive efforts.

Former member of the Cavaliers, Daniel "Booby" Gibson, recently came out in support of Harden, though. He believes that the concerns surrounding his playmaking abilities are understandable, but no longer valid.

"The biggest thing he brings to the team is his playmaking," Gibson said on the Full Court Cleveland show via the BIGPLAY Sports Network. "You talk about your Zubac's, your Embiid's, they've all had career years with Harden.

"We now get an opportunity for him to join this group of hungry guys and push towards a crown."

Over the past few seasons, Harden has slowly become a more consistent playmaker. In his stops with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Clippers, he's had to work more closely with his bigs down low. In his 17th season, he’s averaging assists at a top-five level for his career.

"The biggest thing he brings to the team is his playmaking." #LetEmKnow @BooBysWorld1 cites Embiid & Zubac's growth with Harden as reason to believe in Cleveland.

presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/DrbgSkl772 pic.twitter.com/P8UqaYtaip
— Full Court Cleveland (@FullCourtCLE) February 7, 2026

Why Harden Will Fit in Cleveland

The Cavaliers wouldn't have traded for him if they thought he wouldn't mesh well with superstar guard Donovan Mitchell. After all, it's become his team. This season, he's single-handedly pushed this team to numerous wins and is on pace to potentially end up in MVP discussions by the end of the season.

Reports also emerged that Mitchell wanted to bring Harden to Cleveland, signalling a connection that's already been somewhat established.

Mitchell, who's in his fourth season with the Cavaliers, had already built up chemistry and court-knowledge with Garland, so moving on from him wouldn't have been an easy decision. Trading Garland also ultimately broke up the core-four, which was the identity of the team for the past few years.

Injuries also derailed the future of Garland in the Wine and Gold, which, in turn, opened up the door for a move to be made.

When looking at both Garland's and Harden's assist numbers over the past three seasons, it's glaring that the concerns about a drop in offensive playmaking and facilitating should die off relatively fast.

While putting up 21.1 points per game, Harden's also assisted at an exceptional rate, posting an average of 8.5. In comparison, Garland has scored an average of 19.2 points a night, with his assist numbers coming in at just 6.7.

Yes, moving on from a player like Garland does hurt the heart a bit, but Harden's fit with the Cavaliers may end up working out better than most are anticipating.

His first chance to jump right onto the good side of Cleveland and its faithful will be on Saturday, Feb. 7, against the Sacramento Kings. The two sides are set to square away from the Golden 1 Center in California, with tip-off set for 10:00 p.m. EST.