The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly dealt James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland Tuesday within the greatest commerce to this point of what is already been an active NBA trade-deadline week.
Not lengthy after the deal, Harden spoke about it with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. He denied requesting a commerce, per Shelburne. But he’s “excited” to make the transfer to Cleveland.
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Harden, who’s one of two top-10 all-time NBA scorers without a championship alongside Karl Malone, believes he’ll have a higher likelihood to safe that elusive NBA title with the Cavaliers than with the Clippers.
“In Cleveland I see an opportunity to win in the East,” Harden informed Shelburne. “They got a very good team, coaching staff, all of the above.
“So as a lot as I needed to keep in LA and provides it a go, I’ve by no means received one earlier than. As a basketball thoughts I believe we’ve got a bit higher likelihood.”
Will Harden make the Cavaliers contenders?
Harden’s proper. He joins a Cavaliers crew that completed 68-14 final season for one of the best file within the Eastern Conference. They’ve already exceeded that loss whole this season in a marketing campaign by which Garland missed practically half of Cleveland’s video games with damage earlier than being traded.
But they’ve nonetheless been aggressive at 30-21, which was good for fifth place within the East as of Tuesday evening. And the East is vast open. Swapping in a wholesome Harden for a hobbled Garland has the potential to propel the Cavaliers towards the highest of convention.
James Harden hopes the transfer to Cleveland will lastly web him an NBA championship.
(David Jensen through Getty Images)
Is there a higher backcourt in basketball?
In pairing 10-time All-Star Harden with six-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers have assembled arguably one of the best backcourt within the NBA. Both gamers are able to dropping 50-plus factors on any evening. Mitchell’s an elite scorer in his prime. Harden’s a three-time scoring champ and and a high-level playmaker who’s twice led the league in assists.
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Good luck to opposing groups in deciding who to double in crunch time.
The Clippers, in the meantime, have returned to competitiveness at 23-26 following a brutal 6-21 begin. But even when they’d retained Harden, this was not a crew that was going to compete with the Thunder, Nuggets, Spurs or Rockets to get out of the Western Conference. The addition of Garland would not change that equation.
The Cavaliers are going all in to compete for a title in Mitchell’s prime, and they won’t be executed making strikes with practically two full days remaining earlier than Thursday’s commerce deadline. The Clippers, in the meantime, stay in limbo.
“We had a hell of a two and a half years,” Harden said of his time with the Clippers. “We did not attain the targets that all of us needed to attain, however I believe we constructed some nice reminiscences, had some nice wins and enjoyable moments for all of us.
“At the end of the day, it is a business, and I think both sides got what they wanted, are in a great place and are very happy.”