Lawrence Frank Makes First Remarks After James Harden-Darius Garland Swap

The head of the Clippers front office commented on the blockbuster Harden-for-Garland trade.

Jan 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) reacts to his three pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers made one of the blockbuster moves so far in the leadup to the NBA's February 5th trade deadline, dealing James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for point guard Darius Garland and a future second round draft pick.

The abrupt nature of the move was a surprise -- whether Harden requested a trade or not is in question -- but nevertheless, look for Garland to make a big impact once he puts on a Clippers uniform. After Harden addressed the surprise trade on Tuesday night, Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank made his first remarks about the trade on Wednesday.

Frank made sure to commend Harden for his tenure in Los Angeles. Frank praised Harden's talent, durability, competitiveness, and leadership, said "he put the Clippers on his back for long stretches" and did whatever was necessary to win. He added that they "will always consider him a Clipper," per team insider Joey Linn.

The Clippers have officially announced the James Harden trade.

Lawrence Frank: “I can't overstate what James has meant to our organization in the past two-and-a-half years. He exceeded every expectation and met every challenge. He put us on his back for long stretches, doing…

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) February 4, 2026

Lawrence Frank Praises James Harden on His Way Out in First Remarks Since Trade

Harden was in the midst of a great season for the Clippers as he helped to dig them out of a 6-21 start to get back into playoff contention while averaging 25.4 points per game on roughly 42 percent shooting along with 8.1 assists per game.

Frank also discussed the addition of Garland and was very complimentary of the Clippers' newest player, saying, "We are trying to get younger while continuing to win, and Darius allows us to do both. He is a two-time All-Star who just turned 26 and a highly skilled point guard with excellent feel. Darius is an adept shooter and passer, a quick decision-maker and a respected teammate who has shown the ability to run an elite offense We are excited to win with him and grow with him."

The Clippers had one of the oldest starting lineups in the NBA before the trade, led by the 36-year-old Harden and 34-year-old Kawhi Leonard, and the addition of Garland should help them in both the long and short term.

Additionally, Garland had proven himself to be a capable second scoring option next to Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland -- a role he'll likely have with the Clippers when paired with Leonard -- but he's also capable of creating his own shot when Leonard is either on or off the floor.

How the Garland era with the Clippers unfolds remains to be seen, but they certainly got one of the more underrated guards in the league with Tuesday's deal.