James Harden is working with the Los Angeles Clippers to find a trade before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline, according to ESPN. The two sides are aligned and working with interested teams, potentially setting up the 11-time All-Star and 2018 NBA MVP to play for his sixth NBA team in the very near future.
Harden has had a stellar year all things considered. He’s averaging around 25 points and eight assists per game, maintaining the All-Star-caliber performance he gave the Clippers last season. The only problem has been that the Clippers simply haven’t been as good as a team as they were a year ago. They’ve since fought back into the postseason picture after their 6-21 start, but that hole was so deep that the Clippers likely don’t have a realistic chance of making a deep playoff run in the Western Conference.
Harden, perhaps the most accomplished player in the NBA not to have a championship ring, likely wants to go somewhere that he feels would give him a chance to compete in the twilight of his career. Harden has the right to veto any trade, so he can be picky about his next home. So let’s go over three possible destinations for Harden as the Clippers sift through possible deals.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Sports Illustrated reported Monday that the Clippers and Cavaliers have had advanced discussions on a James Harden-for-Darius Garland swap. On the surface, the deal makes very little sense for the Cavaliers. Harden is 10 years Garland’s senior. Though not quite as outlandish, the obvious comparison would be to Dallas trading Luka Dončić a season ago for Anthony Davis, who is six years older than him.
The more you think about this one, the more sense it seemingly makes. Garland has been fairly injury prone throughout his career. He played 70 games for the first time last season, and then he proceeded to struggle throughout the playoffs due to a toe injury. That toe injury cost him games early in the season and limited his effectiveness when he has been available. He hasn’t played since Jan. 14. He is owed two more years of max money and becomes extension-eligible over the summer. If the Cavaliers don’t feel comfortable playing him, a trade is inevitable.
But most trades would hurt this season’s roster. The Hawks just had to trade Trae Young in a cap dump. The Cavaliers hope to compete for a championship this season, but the league by and large isn’t interested in small guards. Therefore, Cleveland’s best bet for a somewhat fair return would likely involve trading Garland for a different guard. Ja Morant can’t shoot, so he’s an absolute nonstarter for Cleveland. LaMelo Ball may have been in rumors earlier in the season, but the Hornets are rolling now. There just weren’t many options. Enter Harden.
While Harden obviously isn’t a long-term play, he’d represent an upgrade over the version of Garland they’ve had this season at least. He is one of the very few players in all of basketball they could trade Garland for without making this season’s roster worse. Sure, if Cleveland had acted sooner on Garland, things might be different. But any fantasies of, say, a Trey Murphy trade have long passed. This is what’s on the table for Cleveland. The Cavaliers might be able to trade Garland for draft compensation, but doing so would surely involve taking back bad salary. This trade carries long-term risk, but in the short term, it keeps Cleveland in the hunt.
Would Harden, given his Los Angeles roots, be all that happy in Cleveland? It’s hard to say. It famously worked wonders for J.R. Smith, who thrived as a Cavalier because, in his words, “There’s nothing, there’s no going out, there’s no late nights. There’s video games, basketball and basketball.” Maybe Harden could similarly benefit. If he wants to compete for a title, moving East usually makes that easier, and the Cavaliers have a championship-ready roster.
Houston Rockets
This wouldn’t be the first time Harden tried to get back to Houston. There were rumors of a possible return throughout the 2022-23 season, when he was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Rockets instead elected to use their cap flexibility to sign Fred VanVleet as their point guard, putting Harden in a bind. He had nowhere to go in free agency, so he was forced to pick up his option in Philadelphia and force a trade to Los Angeles.
Well, things have changed. VanVleet was great for Houston, but he tore his ACL before the season. The Rockets lost another key player in Steven Adams to an ankle injury recently, giving them $38 million in dead salary burning a hole in their pocket this season. VanVleet has the right to veto a trade, but Los Angeles would likely appeal to him given the presence of former teammate Kawhi Leonard and the clean books the Clippers can use to pay him longer-term if they so choose. Harden makes just over $39 million. Houston struggles to generate half-court offense. That’s Harden’s speciality. The Rockets are loaded with defenders to protect him on that end of the floor. He’d even be reuniting with former teammate Kevin Durant for a second time following their brief partnership in Brooklyn and longer one in Oklahoma City.
Houston declined its last chance at Harden. Would the Rockets feel differently now? He’s hardly a fit for Ime Udoka’s defense-first style, but they may not be quite as picky with a real title shot on the line and few in-season options. Would Houston give up meaningful draft capital to get this done? The Clippers aren’t running a charity, after all. If Garland is on the table for them, the Rockets would have to put real draft value on the table to match that.
There are hurdles here, but you’d imagine that if Harden has his choice, he’d probably love to get back to Houston. The Rockets turned the haul they got for him in 2021 into a full-fledged contender, and now Harden could potentially get back there right in time for them to fully enjoy the spoils of that rebuild.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota doesn’t have the obvious one-for-one player to swap with the Clippers that the Cavaliers have, and it doesn’t have the same nostalgic and logistical appeal that Houston has. But the Timberwolves have one of the NBA’s most aggressive general managers in Tim Connelly. If he wants Harden and Harden wants the Timberwolves, he’ll find a way to make it possible.
Point guard has been an issue for Minnesota since Mike Conley began to decline. The Wolves have explored lesser players like Coby White, but Harden’s playmaking would pair very well with Anthony Edwards as a scorer and all of the defense and athleticism Minnesota has assembled. Minnesota would have to send out one or two of its expensive role players to make a deal work financially. The easiest path would be Julius Randle, recent No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham and one minimum salary in exchange for Harden. That would conveniently leave the Clippers with 16 players, forcing them to waive Chris Paul and allow him to try to find a new home for the rest of the season.
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Sam Quinn
The major holdup here, though, is that the Timberwolves are currently pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo. Minnesota won’t abandon a 31-year-old two-time MVP for a 36-year-old single MVP winner. So for now, the TImberwolves are otherwise occupied. We’ll see if that changes before Thursday’s deadline.