James Harden is dominating the headlines ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have discussed a trade centered around Harden. This potential deal would send Darius Garland to Los Angeles. It's worth noting that he hasn't played since Jan. 14 due to a foot injury. When healthy though, he's averaging 18.0 points and 6.9 assists per game.
Harden, 36, has a player option for the 2026-27 season. He probably wants a bit more long-term security at this stage in his career.
While a trade involving Harden hasn't been agreed to as of this Tuesday, NBA fans are sounding off on the All-Star guard's future. Most of them are tired of him constantly switching teams. The future Hall of Famer has played for four different teams since the start of the 2020-21 season.
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"I would not trade Darius Garland for James Harden under any circumstances. You know why?… All this guy does is quit on teams and fold in the playoffs," Fox Sports personality Nick Wright said.
"The NBA season doesn't start until James Harden quits on his current team midseason," one fan joked.
"I can’t see why a team that choked in the playoffs last season wouldn’t want to add James Harden for the stretch run," a second fan said in response to the Cavaliers rumors. "Seems like a perfect plan."
"You think James Harden is comfortable and then BOOM, trade request," another fan wrote. "Always keeping us on our toes. He really is the GOAT at this."
Would Harden be the missing piece for Cleveland?
Although a deal hasn't been finalized, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst is confident Harden will end up in Cleveland before the trade deadline passes on Thursday.
"People I'm talking to there is real momentum for this," Windhorst said. "Darius Garland is getting in his head that he's gonna be a Clipper. James Harden is getting in his head that he's gonna be a Cav."
The Cavaliers are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. On paper, adding Harden would probably help them grab a top-four seed for the playoffs. After all, we're talking about a player who's averaging 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game this season.
Should Harden be considered the missing piece to Cleveland's championship puzzle though? It's hard to say yes when we've seen him come up short in the playoffs multiple times.