The Cleveland Cavaliers pushed their chips in at the NBA trade deadline this year, trading away the team’s young guard Darius Garland along with a second-round pick in exchange for veteran superstar James Harden.
While Garland has been inconsistent this year, Harden has proven he is still capable of being a team’s offensive engine and raises Cleveland’s ceiling in a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Harden alongside shooting guard Donovan Mitchell should have the Cavaliers offense operating as one of the hardest to stop. He gives both himself and Mitchell a real shot at winning their first NBA Finals and bringing another title back to Cleveland for the first time in a decade.
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Harden will likely make his Cavaliers debut on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings, which will mark the sixth organization he has played for. He posted 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists while shooting 41.9% from the field and 34.7% from beyond the arc across 44 games with the Clippers.
Mitchell has already built a strong relationship with Harden, as the two have frequently shared the court as opponents, trained together in the past and even been teammates at the All-Star Game. Mitchell has expressed excitement about sharing a backcourt with Harden this year.
Ahead of Harden’s debut, he took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of the two together, captioning the post, “it all comes full circle #Uno.”
Mitchell responded in the comments with a simple one-word message that read, “Crazy 😂,” likely laughing at how old the image was.
Mitchell’s enthusiasm is backed by the level he has played at this season. He is averaging 28.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 48.4% from the field and 38.1% from deep across 48 games.
He recently earned his seventh straight All-Star selection and has already been named to two All-NBA teams. Harden brings his own decorated legacy that includes an MVP award, 11 All-Star selections, three scoring titles and eight All-NBA honors.
Pairing two players with that level of production and experience gives Cleveland one of the most explosive backcourts in the league and positions the Cavaliers to make a legitimate push toward the top of the Eastern Conference.