The NBA trade deadline was an active one, but not many contending teams made major moves. One exception was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who shipped Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the Clippers for James Harden.
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There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played, but the early returns for the Cavs have been promising as they’ve won all three games they’ve played since Harden’s arrival, including an impressive comeback win on the road against the Nuggets on Monday.
The Cavs are currently fourth in the East, but their recent form, and their new bearded guard, has actually made them the betting favorite to win the Eastern Conference. They’re currently +330 on FanDuel to make the Finals, with the Pistons, Celtics and Knicks all just behind them at +350.
The Cavs were rolling even before Harden arrived, but with him in the fold, they look very much like a team that will have something to say about who takes home the Larry O’Brien trophy. On the latest episode of KG Certified, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce talked about the the tangible and intangible differences they’ve seen since Harden joined the squad.
“It put a jolt in them,” KG said of the Harden trade. “It got them going, bro. Moving the ball, got Jarrett Allen going, the bench is active. You don’t see the bench ever active! They’re going, P!”
“Harden is giving them a new energy because he’s available,” Pierce said, referring to Garland’s frequent injuries. “It takes pressure off Donovan Mitchell so he don’t have to do all the playmaking. And then you got another guy who can make big shots.”
As optimistic as Pierce is about the way the Cavs look, he’s not ready to crown them East favorites because he’s seen versions of this story before. “The question for the Cavs is, they’ve been a great regular season team since Donovan Mitchell’s been there,” he said. “Can they take that in the playoffs, because another second-round exit would be disappointing.”
Since Mitchell got to town before the 2022-23 season, the Cavs have averaged just over 54 wins per year, and last year, they secured the 1-seed with a 64-18 record. They haven’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs, though, and frankly, they haven’t been all that close. They went out in the first round three years ago, then got bounced in the conference semis each of the last two years.
Every one of those playoff series losses came by the same 4-1 score, so Pierce’s skepticism is warranted, especially when combined with the reality that Harden hasn’t covered himself in glory in the postseason, either.
That may sound like a negative, but it’s also an opportunity. The Cavs have the chance to prove that they have what it takes to make a deep push with this group, and Harden can finally shake off his postseason demons with one well-timed spring run.
Maybe this is what the Cavs and Harden needed, a midseason shake-up to carry them through. Obviously the front office is confident they have what it takes, or they wouldn’t have made one of the splashiest moves of the deadline.
The Cavs are currently fourth in the East, but they’re only 1.5 games out of the 2-seed, and they still have 27 games to go after the All-Star Break. There’s plenty of time to move up the ranks, but whatever record and seed they end up with, the playoffs will be the ultimate measuring stick of whether the Harden trade was a success or not.
