Cleveland Cavs trade analysis, grades, recap after James Harden deal

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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers are taking down one banner in the hopes it’ll lead to the raising of another.

The blockbuster trade that swapped All-Star-caliber guards Darius Garland and James Harden signaled the official end of the “core four” era after years of Cleveland carefully avoiding any move that would break them up.

Within a few hours of each other, Garland was in Los Angeles saying goodbye to his Cavaliers teammates while a construction crew in Cleveland began taking down the large banner that rested outside of Rocket Arena depicting Donovan Mitchell, Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The banner read “Four the Land.”

It used to be the “We Are All Witnesses” banner, showing LeBron James dunking, until he left Cleveland in 2018. It was then the flag of a new era, and it has now been taken down without the final goal being accomplished. Three of the four players remain, but the Cavs’ moves at the trade deadline showed how they had reached the point of needing to shake things up with a golden opportunity right in front of them.

“I want to start by talking about Darius Garland and how instrumental he was to this organization, how thankful we are for him and what he brought to us,” said president of basketball operations Koby Altman, reflecting on the rebuilding years with Garland. “We’re not here today without him, to be quite honest. … It was an incredible run with him. He made this place a destination, a cool place to play, from 19 wins to 22 wins to 44 wins.”

In all, the Cavaliers made three trades and effectively dealt Garland, De’Andre Hunter, Lonzo Ball and three second-round picks for Harden, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. Counting both salary cap relief and luxury tax savings, they saved roughly $115 million and got within striking distance (about $4 million) of being under the NBA’s second apron, which would give them more flexibility this offseason.

In that way, the Cavaliers accomplished goals on multiple fronts at the same time, which isn’t easy in today’s NBA world.

Cavaliers trade deadline recap after James Harden, other deals

It all began with the Hunter trade to the Kings, which suddenly put the Cavaliers in a much more advantageous position when it came to the deadline and any other potential movies. Hunter had simply fallen out of being the right fit on this Cavs roster. The player who helped the Cavs to an extended winning streak after last year’s deadline had somehow disappeared, though his contract remained.

In dealing Hunter, the Cavaliers erased a mountain of luxury tax penalties while adding two guards to bolster their rotational depth, one of whom — Ellis — had largely been seen as a trade target for several contending teams. It left quite a few people in the NBA world with a “Huh?” response to why Sacramento would agree to such a trade.

The Kings are generally seen as a team sailing aimlessly into the deep blue abyss without much of a plan or direction. Just about every professional sports league around the world has at least one franchise operating in such a way, and at this trade deadline the Cavaliers were the beneficiaries of it.

That deal, combined with the Cavs sending two second-round picks to the Jazz just so they’d take Ball’s contract, added flexibility, both roster and financial.

Then there’s the blockbuster, franchise-altering deal to add Harden and send Garland to the Clippers.

When both are 100 percent healthy, Garland at 26 and Harden at 36 might be up for some debate as to which player would be the best fit considering Garland is 10 years younger and under contract for two more guaranteed years (Harden has a player option for next season). But what won out, in the Cavs’ eyes, is Harden’s playoff experience and the fact that he’s simply available more than Garland.

So why was this the right time to break up the core four?

“I would say opportunity,” Altman said. “This opportunity was brought to us several weeks ago as a place that James really identified that he would want to be here and win a championship, try to win a championship, love the roster, love the fit. This was presented to us a while back, not something we jumped on right away.”

Yes, Harden has had some rough playoff moments, but the Cavs liked his wealth of experience, as he’s played in 173 playoff games. It’s something on which they hope to build on this spring.

“Really excited about when it gets to a chaotic time in the playoffs and we’re on the road and there’s a fever pitch, being able to throw the ball to him and calm this thing down — let’s have a good possession, right?” Altman said. “We’ve gone to the playoffs the last few years largely as a young team, not a very experienced playoff team trying to figure it out.

“Now I think we’re adding just a tremendous amount of experience and know-how.”

Altman was clear on one thing — the Cavaliers had no complaints about how Garland recovered from his toe injuries, or the level to which he tried to push through it all. In fact, Altman noted, “I don’t want to curse — it’s B.S.”

But regardless of what could have been done about it, Garland’s lingering toe issues were threatening the Cavs’ timeline, considering they only know for sure that Mitchell will be in Cleveland this season and next, and the Eastern Conference is wide open for the taking right now.

Garland hasn’t been consistently the same player he was before the toe injury last season, and his recent reinjury only pushed more doubt into how he might look in the playoffs.

This all could mean the Cavs are only guaranteed to have a two-year window. That will be somewhat up to Mitchell and Harden — Mitchell is under contract for two years with a player option after that — but there would be reason to believe the Cavs feel confident those two will both be in Cleveland for this playoff run and next season. After that, decisions will have to be made, both by the players and the franchise.

Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden before Game 2 of an 2023 NBA playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets on April 17, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Cavaliers trade deadline grades

Even with acquiring a player who is 36 years old, Harden is a future Hall of Famer who’s still playing at a high level, and he gives the Cavaliers a much more experienced scoring option in a playoff setting. Not to mention the injury concerns surrounding Harden are few and far between compared to Garland.

The Eastern Conference is wide open because of all the Achilles injuries around the league. The Oklahoma City Thunder aren’t going anywhere as the NBA’s top contender for a long time, but the East can be taken right now, and the Cavs know their timeline is predicated by Mitchell’s player option after next season.

Taking a more aggressive line makes sense on several fronts, and the Cavs accomplishing that goal while also saving more than $100 in tax penalties and coming closer to flexibility this offseason — when a LeBron James reunion is entirely possible for his farewell season — leaves the Cavs pleased with how the deadlined turned out.

The Harden-Garland swap is a risk, but it’s one that probably makes more sense than hoping Garland’s toe finally stops being an issue. Garland missing the beginning of the regular season wasn’t much of a concern or a consideration for a team that knows it’s going to the playoffs, but the most recent reaggravation was cause for concern. The Hunter and Ball deals were total wins for the franchise, both today and tomorrow.

Cavs trade deadline grade: A.

Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Cavaliers and Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers trade deadline grades, analysis following James Harden deal