What We Know About James Harden-Darius Garland Trade Rumors

The James Harden-to-Cavaliers buzz is getting louder ahead of the trade deadline.

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ESPN's Shams Charania dropped a bomb on the NBA landscape on Monday night when he reported that the LA Clippers and James Harden were working together to find him a new home ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. What was a very quiet trade deadline for Clippers fans turned into utter mayhem after the seemingly out-of-nowhere news.

It was then that reports of Harden heading to the Cleveland Cavaliers emerged. Chris Mannix of SI and Kelly Iko of Yahoo! Sports were among reporters who revealed that the Cavs and the Clippers were engaged in talks for a trade centered around Darius Garland and Harden.

What Happened Between Harden and the Clippers?

This news came on the heels of Harden being ruled out for "personal reasons" in back-to-back games for the Clippers. His absence against the Suns on Sunday was particularly interesting as head coach Ty Lue later revealed that Harden was "home in Phoenix" that day. The day before, he was present at his alma mater Arizona State's game against Arizona, per Iko's reporting.

This is certainly a fascinating development as Harden was playing excellent basketball before his personal absence and the Clippers were on a hot streak. Even when the Clippers were struggling early in the season, sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference, the 36-year-old guard never revealed an intention to leave Los Angeles.

James Harden's Contract Situation With the Clippers

While we don't know what exactly went down between Harden and the Clippers, it's not too hard to read between the lines. Harden has a player option for $42.3 million for next season. Instead of opting in and being on a one-year deal, Harden understandably wants to lock in more guaranteed, long-term salary.

The Clippers, on the other hand, want to retain financial flexibility as they seek to have a ton of cap space in the 2027 offseason. With no contracts on the books for 2027 and beyond except for Ivica Zubac, the Clippers were setting themselves up to aggressively chase free agents in the summer of 2027.

Harden has had contract negotiations with the Clippers for the past two offseasons. In 2024, he ended up signing a two-year, $70 million deal with a player option for the second year. This past offseason, he declined the player option to sign a new two-year, $81.5 million deal with another player option on the second year. Not being able to get the multi-year extension he is seeking, Harden may have hit his limit with the Clippers, especially considering how well he has been performing all season.

Clippers' Darius Garland Gamble Has Its Own Risks

The interesting part of the rumored trade with the Cavs is that Garland's contract runs through 2028. This eats into the Clippers' future salary cap, but LA may have more interest in paying 26-year-old Garland over $40 million a year than Harden who is in his late 30s.

There is an obvious risk associated with turning Harden into Garland. The Clippers star has been more durable and productive than Garland this season. Garland had toe surgery in the offseason and has missed significant time to start the season, and has been out with another toe injury for the last three weeks. He has been nowhere near where he was last season, when he was an All-Star lock in the Eastern Conference.

Given that the Clippers' best player is 34 years old and that they don't have a long championship window, going from Harden to Garland in the next season or two may be a downgrade. In the long run, however, the Clippers may benefit from getting younger and betting on the upside of Garland.

James Harden & Darius Garland Can Be Traded for One Another

Harden makes $39.1 million, and Garland makes $39.4 million this season. This means that they can be traded for each other without requiring additional salary. The Clippers would end up staying below the first apron after this deal, and the Cavs make a legal trade despite being over the second apron. Whether either team would have to include additional draft capital in the trade remains to be seen.