According to a report by ESPN's Shams Charania on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Clippers have completed a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They sent James Harden to the Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round pick.

Harden himself opted to waive his no-trade clause in his contract in order to facilitate the breakup. Since the Cavaliers are the only team in the NBA at the second luxury tax threshold, he also forfeited approximately $2.3 million in trade bonuses.

With the trade completed, the Cavaliers will become the sixth team Harden has played for in his professional career. As the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, Harden has previously played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Clippers. To date, he has played 1195 regular season games, averaging 24.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in 34.8 minutes per game. He has been selected to the All-Star team 11 times and named to the All-NBA Team 6 times.

Harden has also played 173 playoff games, averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals in 36.2 minutes per game, with a field goal percentage of 42.5% and a three-point percentage of 34.0%.

After joining the Cavaliers, Harden will team up with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and others to continue the pursuit of a championship. So far this season, he has played 44 games for the Clippers, averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 35.4 minutes per game.

As for the Clippers, they have full confidence in Garland's ability and potential. Due to injuries, Garland has missed 25 of the first 51 regular season games so far this season, averaging 18.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 30.5 minutes per game.

Nevertheless, when healthy, Garland is still one of the All-Star caliber point guards. As the 5th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 draft, he played 408 games for the Cavaliers in his six-and-a-half-year career, averaging 18.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.1 steals in 33.0 minutes per game, and was selected to the All-Star team twice.

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