Clippers finalizing James Harden trade for Darius Garland with Cavs

Just days before the NBA trade deadline is set to pass, the LA Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have finalized a trade agreement that will send guard James Harden to the Cavs and guard Darius Garland to the Clippers, league sources tell ClutchPoints. As part of the trade, the Cavs is also sending a 2026 second round pick to the Clippers, sources say.

The two sides have been in trade talks for a couple days, with the talks progressing to the advanced stages on Monday night during the Clippers’ home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Talks between the two teams continued into Tuesday evening, a day before they’re set to face off inside Intuit Dome.

James Harden and the LA Clippers have been in active trade talks for multiple weeks, league sources told ClutchPoints, with the Clippers working with Harden on potential trade destinations for the 36-year-old guard. The team hasn’t been shopping Harden, especially with the team’s recent stretch of 17 wins in their last 22 games, the best such record in the league since December 20th.

Harden is currently on a two-year, $81.5 million deal signed last summer, with a player option and a partial guarantee worth $13.3 million for the 2026-27 season.

The Clippers have long been prioritizing their cap space heading into the summer of 2027, and have not been willing to give players deals beyond the 2026-27 season. It’s the biggest reasons that both Paul George and Norman Powell are not longer on the roster.

Harden, who turns 37 years of age in August, had been hoping to secure a two-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $80 million after this season, sources said, but the Clippers have remained steadfast in their unwillingness to go beyond 2027. Harden also had veto power on any trade because his deal is technically for one season and a 15 percent trade kicker.

Now in his 17th season in the NBA, James Harden is averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from three. Harden is currently having his highest scoring season since the 2019-20 season, his final year with the Houston Rockets.

On the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front, the franchise had been eyeing a potential upgrade at the guard position after four seasons of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell did not yield playoff success.

Additionally, the Cavs have had growing concerns about Garland’s ability to stay healthy. The two-time NBA All-Star plays well when he’s on the court, but had been dealing with nagging foot and toe issues over the last season that’s led him to miss significant portions of the season.

The injury was a topic of conversation in the trade discussions between the Cavaliers and Clippers.

In his second All-Star season in 2024-25, Darius Garland played 75 games averaging 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.2 steals for the Cavs while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from three in 30.7 minutes per game.

This season, Garland has played just in just 25 of the Cavs first 51 games, averaging 18 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 0.8 steals on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 36 percent from three in 30.5 minutes a night.

The LA Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers will meet for the second and final time this season on Wednesday night inside Intuit Dome.

ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel contributed to this report.

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