The Clippers have traded guard James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick, the Clippers confirmed Wednesday.
The move signals a shift for the Clippers toward a younger core, as the 26-year-old Garland comes in for the famously bearded 36-year-old veteran Harden.
“We are trying to get younger while continuing to win, and Darius allows us to do both,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said in a statement confirming the deal.
“Darius is an adept shooter and passer, a quick decision-maker and a respected teammate who has shown the ability to run an elite offense. We are excited to win with him and grow with him,” Frank added.
Garland, a 6-foot-1 guard, is averaging 18.0 points, 6.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 26 games this season with Cleveland. Originally selected fifth overall in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Vanderbilt, he is a two-time NBA All-Star and has appeared in 22 postseason games.
Frank praised Harden’s impact during his tenure with the Clippers.
“I can’t overstate what James has meant to our organization in the past two-and-a-half years,” Frank said.
“He exceeded every expectation and met every challenge. He put us on his back for long stretches, doing whatever was necessary to win. He’s an all-time great who delivers on a nightly basis. We benefited from his talent, his durability, his competitiveness and his leadership. We’ll always consider him a Clipper.”
Harden, a Los Angeles native, averaged 21.1 points, 8.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 195 games with the Clippers. This season, he became the franchise leader in triple-doubles and set a team record with a 55-point performance.
Across his career with Oklahoma City, Houston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia and the Clippers, Harden has averaged 24.1 points, 7.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 1,195 games.
He is an 11-time NBA All-Star, the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player, a three-time scoring champion and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.