Clippers Are Still Winners of the James Harden Trade Even After Cavs' Playoff Run

In his first playoffs since leaving the Los Angeles Clippers, James Harden has found more success than many had expected. For the first time since 2018, Harden is back in the conference finals, with a real chance of making the NBA Finals. While Harden has been contributing to the Cleveland Cavaliers' success in a big way, the Clippers should have no regrets about trading him at the deadline. In fact, the Clippers are still the winners of the Harden-Darius Garland swap.

The Cavaliers had an impressive win on the road in Game 7 against the Pistons. Harden, who has historically struggled in Game 7 situations, was not particularly effective, finishing with nine points and six assists on 2/10 shooting from the field. But he made enough winning plays and put up a fight defensively to give his team a chance.

Even if Cleveland goes on to make the Finals or win the NBA championship, the Clippers' decision to trade Harden can't be criticized.

Clippers Should Have No Regrets About the James Harden-Darius Garland Trade

When the Clippers traded away Harden, they were ninth in the Western Conference with a 23-26 record. They had been playing better after a disastrous start to the season, but they were still far from a playoff spot. They were seven games behind the No. 7 seed Phoenix Suns with 33 games left in the season.

Even if they were to make a big run at the end, their best-case scenario was to finish as the No. 7 seed in the West. With how good the Spurs and the Thunder have been looking in the playoffs, the Clippers would have had no shot against either team.

Plus, Harden is in the final year of his contract. He has a player option for $42.3 million for next season. The Clippers would have had to give him the contract extension he was looking for or lose him for nothing. Considering how far the Clippers looked from title contention, paying 36-year-old Harden over $40 million for the next few years made little sense.

As a result, the Clippers chose to get younger by acquiring Garland. The 26-year-old point guard dealt with injuries throughout the season, and this remains a concern going forward. Yet, he gives the Clippers a significantly brighter future. He is the type of high-upside player ahead of his prime that the Clippers have lacked for many years.

It's not like Garland is a worse player than Harden at this very moment. Even when hobbled by injuries, Garland shot the lights out in LA and was highly productive offensively.

Having an All-Star caliber point guard going forward gives the Clippers a ton of flexibility going forward. Garland is an easy player to fit around due to his ability to shoot the ball. He can play both on and off the ball. His defensive concerns make it important that the Clippers surround him with decent defenders, but Garland makes everyone around him better offensively. He can be the starting point guard in LA for at least the next half-decade.

This doesn't mean that the Cavs lost the trade, but it's clear that the Clippers won it. There is truly nothing Harden can do in Cleveland to change that reality.

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