On Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers finalized their blockbuster trade for James Harden, sending Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange. This signals that the Cavs are feeling a bit of desperation to try and make their current core work, as Harden has been healthier and more productive than Garland has been this season.
It's not quite clear, however, when Harden will be taking the court as a member of the Cavs for the first time. He's missed the past two games for the Clippers due to personal reasons, and it's not certain if those personal reasons ever pertained to his eventual trade request that the Clippers granted.
The earliest Harden can take the floor for the Cavs is on Wednesday, when, in poetic fashion, they would be taking on a shorthanded Clippers team that isn't likely to have Garland back in action quite yet. This would be quite the game for Harden to make his Cavs debut.
In all likelihood, Harden may continue to stay on the sidelines for tomorrow, instead choosing to make his Cavs debut on Saturday when they come up against the Sacramento Kings — another team that Cleveland had pulled off a trade with.
James Harden, Cavs have one goal in mind
The Cavs brought in Harden to boost their title chances this season. Harden is not a notable playoff riser; in fact, he has a history of seeing his play drop off come postseason time. Nonetheless, he helps the Cavs be better in the regular season after a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign, and he doesn't have to be the main man anyway in the playoffs as he'll be deferring to Donovan Mitchell.
No one can say for certain if the addition of Harden will be what takes the Cavs over the hump. But The Beard is at least somewhat of a better defender than Garland is since he can defend the post well, and having increased defensive fortitude may be all Cleveland needs to improve on their past playoff results.
