Darius Garland Rumors

Chris Mannix: Clippers and Cavs have been in advanced negotiations since last night, when @SInow reported the talks. Cleveland wanted a first rounder but that was never seen as a deal breaker. Cavs wanted to take a big swing. LA wanted a younger All-Star. Both sides get what they were after.

x.com

Ramona Shelburne: A few weeks ago James Harden was waxing poetic about his time in LA, telling ESPN how “blessed” he’d felt to play in his hometown. I believe he was genuine in those sentiments. But this is a business decision for all involved. Garland is 10 years younger and gives the Clippers more of a future. Harden gets a chance to play for a contender and a better chance to earn some long term security. Everyone involved knew this summer how tradable that partial guarantee on the second year of Harden’s contract made him. All in all, a very different kind of exit than his last few exits.

Twitter

Shams Charania: BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Prolific swap of the star point guards.

x.com

Oh No He Didn't: Windy: "People I'm talking to there is real momentum for this. 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"

x.com

The idea of this deal struck league executives as potentially awkward for both teams. While James Harden is having a strong season, his timeline does not match the rest of the Cavs' roster. Darius Garland is dealing with issues to both big toes and, while sources said he is making progress after missing the past two weeks with a right toe sprain and could return soon, there is some concern about whether the injuries could be a longer-term issue. The Clippers had won 17 of 21 games before Monday night, completely turning around their season. Harden potentially jumping ship now, and its potential effect on the Clippers' trajectory, certainly won't be burnishing his résumé.

ESPN

ESPN Cleveland: "The reason it got public is because it's close... while I do think there's momentum, I do not think it's absolutely a done deal," - @WindhorstESPN on the status of the Cavs and Clippers Garland/Harden trade talks.

Twitter

Chris Haynes: Los Angeles Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have ramped up conversations on a James Harden, Darius Garland package with both sides motivated to executing a deal relatively soon, league sources tell me.

x.com

‪Law Murray 📘‬: For James Harden, opportunity is key Cleveland/Darius Garland being tied to this is quite intentional DG hasn't played in nearly 3 weeks All of Harden's trades have targeted an existing "replaceable" guard (K. Martin, LeVert/Oladipo, B. Simmons, R. Westbrook)

bsky.app

Yossi Gozlan‬: Realistically, the Cavaliers can keep two of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, & Darius Garland in the long run. This trade would indicate their commitment to Mitchell, who can extend this summer for up to four years, $273 million. FWIW, Harden expires in time for Mitchell’s next deal.

bsky.app

The LA Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers have discussed a deal that would send James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland, league sources told The Athletic. The Cavaliers’ interest in Harden, league sources said, would be contingent on the amount of draft capital the Clippers would attach to sweeten any deal where they’d swap the 26-year-old All-Star guard for the 36-year-old former MVP.

New York Times

League sources tell The Stein Line — amid multiple reports about a potential Harden-for-Darius Garland swap with Cleveland — that discussions regarding such a trade have not yet reached an advanced stage. The most serious recent talks between the Clippers and Cavaliers, sources say, focused on players such as LA's John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanović in potential deal structures for De'Andre Hunter, who was traded to Sacramento instead.

marcstein.substack.com

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers have had advanced discussions on a deal that would send James Harden to Cleveland in exchange for Darius Garland, sources tell Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated

Cleveland’s initial interest in Harden dates back to December, sources say, in the midst of the Clippers’ dismal 6-21 start. During that time, a number of key veterans expressed frustration and the front office explored potential deals for the likes of Harden, John Collins and Brook Lopez, among others, sources say. The Cavaliers have also canvassed the point guard market at various points over the past few months. Subsequently, the Clippers have held a longstanding interest in seventh-year guard Darius Garland, sources say.

Yahoo! Sports

The Cavs have received offers for swingman De’Andre Hunter — last year’s deadline prize who is in the midst of one of the worst statistical seasons of his career and keeps trying to adapt to a midseason role change. There remains strong interest in free-agent-to-be Dean Wade. Opposing teams have also been wondering if Cleveland has any appetite for breaking up the Core 4 — Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. To this point, Cavs decision-makers have made it clear they aren’t interested in a drastic shake-up. They still think highly of this group and see a pathway back to the top of the wide-open Eastern Conference. They also want to evaluate this roster closer to full strength, believing their prospective rotation — with Garland getting closer to returning from a minor toe injury, the emergence of second-year forward Jaylon Tyson and Max Strus’ eventual comeback from offseason foot surgery — stacks up with anyone in the East.

Cleveland Plain Dealer