Why did the Cleveland Cavaliers acquire James Harden?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are "intrigued" about adding James Harden next to Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
The Cavaliers traded Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for Harden.
"The Cavaliers were intrigued to see how Harden could elevate their two standout big men, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and take some of the load off dynamic shooting guard Donovan Mitchell," Shelburne wrote. "Discussions between the teams softened as Harden and the Clippers attempted to resurrect their season, and the Cavaliers assessed whether their current roster was built to contend for a title. Reality eventually emerged for both: The Clippers couldn't, and the Cavaliers' roster wasn't."
The Cavaliers are now under immense pressure to win the championship this season. The Wine and Gold haven't gotten past the second round of the playoffs since 2018. Mitchell, 29, has never reached the conference finals.
Harden made it to the 2012 NBA Finals with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games. The 11-time All-Star also guided the Houston Rockets to the conference finals twice. Houston lost to the Golden State Warriors both times.
It will be fascinating to see how Harden and Mitchell mesh. Both players are ball-dominant players and there is only one ball on the court. Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson will have to get creative with his offensive sets.
Harden is averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game this season while shooting 41.9% from the field, 34.7% from beyond the arc and 90.1% from the free-throw line. He's one of the best scorers and passers in the NBA despite being 36.
Mitchell is playing very well this season as well. He's averaging 28.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and shooting 48.4% from the field, 38.1% from 3 and 84.6% from the foul line.
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