New Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden loves playing with Jarrett Allen.
When James Harden requested a trade from the Houston Rockets during the 2020-21 season, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, who traded Jarrett Allen to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of the blockbuster four-team trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Fast forward to today, Harden and Allen are now teammates on the Cavaliers, who acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers.
A future Hall of Famer, Harden loves playing with Allen, who is getting easy buckets thanks to "The Beard."
"Being on the outside, I can say he’s better than I thought he was in the sense he's able to catch the ball, finish around the rim with both hands," Harden said about Allen after the Cavaliers beat the Nets on Thursday. "He has so much touch around the rim and that's probably one of the most underrated parts of his game."
The Cavaliers are 4-0 since acquiring Harden, who is averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game with Cleveland.
Allen looks like a superstar with Harden feeding him. The big man is averaging 21.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game alongside Harden, one of the best playmakers in NBA history.
Cleveland is in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Wine and Gold look like a championship contender again after starting the season off slowly.
The team's "Big 4" of Harden, Allen, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley looks dangerous thus far. It will be fascinating to see how far the Cavaliers go in the 2026 NBA playoffs.
The 2018 MVP with the Rockets, Harden is making $39.4 million this season, with $13.3 million of his $42.3 million salary for next season guaranteed. Harden had sought more security in negotiations with the Clippers last offseason, but Los Angeles declined to offer him a longer-term deal because of his age and an organizational prioritization of long-term flexibility.
The Cavaliers are widely expected to sign Harden to a new deal this offseason.
Harden is still searching to win his first NBA championship, while Mitchell, Allen and Mobley have never advanced past the second round of the playoffs.
Harden made the NBA Finals back in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost to the Miami Heat in five games.
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