Harden is one of two top-10 all-time scorers without an NBA title. He's hoping the move to Cleveland takes him off that list.
The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly dealt James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland Tuesday in the biggest trade so far of what's already been an active NBA trade-deadline week.
Not long after the deal, Harden spoke about it with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. He denied requesting a trade, per Shelburne. But he's "excited" to make the move to Cleveland.
Harden, who's one of two top-10 all-time NBA scorers without a championship alongside Karl Malone, believes he'll have a better chance to secure that elusive NBA title with the Cavaliers than with the Clippers.
"In Cleveland I see an opportunity to win in the East," Harden told Shelburne. "They got a very good team, coaching staff, all of the above.
"So as much as I wanted to stay in LA and give it a go, I’ve never won one before. As a basketball mind I think we have a bit better chance.”
Will Harden make the Cavaliers contenders?
Harden's right. He joins a Cavaliers team that finished 68-14 last season for the best record in the Eastern Conference. They've already exceeded that loss total this season in a campaign in which Garland missed nearly half of Cleveland's games with injury before being traded.
But they've still been competitive at 30-21, which was good for fifth place in the East as of Tuesday night. And the East is wide open. Swapping in a healthy Harden for a hobbled Garland has the potential to propel the Cavaliers toward the top of conference.
Is there a better backcourt in basketball?
In pairing 10-time All-Star Harden with six-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers have assembled arguably the best backcourt in the NBA. Both players are capable of dropping 50-plus points on any night. Mitchell's an elite scorer in his prime. Harden's a former 3-time scoring champ and and a high-level playmaker who's twice led the league in assists.
Good luck to opposing teams in deciding who to double in crunch time.
The Clippers, meanwhile, have returned to competitiveness at 23-26 following a brutal 6-21 start. But even if they'd retained Harden, this was not a team that was going to compete with the Thunder, Nuggets, Spurs or Rockets to get out of the Western Conference. The addition of Garland doesn't change that equation.
The Cavaliers are going all in to compete for a title in Mitchell's prime, and they might not be done making moves with nearly two full days remaining before Thursday's trade deadline. The Clippers, meanwhile, remain in limbo.
“We had a hell of a two and a half years," Harden said of his time with the Clippers. "We didn't reach the goals that we all wanted to reach, but I think we built some great memories, had some great wins and fun 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."
Category: General Sports
