The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
Speculation about a potential trade for Harden is intensifying just ahead of the NBA trade deadline on February 5, with Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports reporting Monday night that the Clippers and Cavaliers are in discussions surrounding the All-Star veteran.
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Harden, 36, is in the second year of a two-year, $81.5 million contract he signed last June when he declined to activate the opt-out clause in his contract. He could have declined any deal due to the structure of his contract.
Harden does have a $42.3 million player option for the 2026-27 season, but only $13 million of that is guaranteed.
This is Harden’s 17th season in the NBA and his sixth with the Cavaliers since being drafted third overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009. He played for the Clippers over the past three seasons, averaging 21.1 points, 8.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
This season, Harden has played in 44 games and averaged 25.4 points per game, which is his highest score since the 2019-20 season. Despite making his 12th All-Star appearance this season, he was left off the roster along with teammate Kawhi Leonard to top this year’s snub list.
In December, Harden entered the top 10 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and currently ranks ninth.
This story will be updated.
