The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the best stories in the NBA this season, after being arguably the worst. Their year started off rough, with the allegations against them and being one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. However, they were able to put together a run and now have a shot at postseason basketball.

Even with all that, it didn't stop the Clippers from getting active in the trade market, making a blockbuster deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and swapping All-Star guards with Darius Garland and draft capital heading to LA for James Harden. A move that caught the NBA world by surprise, the deal is official.

Now with the deal finalized, the Clippers have come forth with a statement on the deal.

"We are trying to get younger while continuing to win, and Darius allows us to do both," said President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank. "He is a two-time All-Star who just turned 26 and a highly skilled point guard with excellent feel."

Nothing is wrong with that statement on Garland, but the problem is that he hasn't been healthy this season. He's appeared in just 26 games this year, averaging 18.0 points and 6.9 assists per game when he's been able to suit up.

However, the Clippers will be hoping he can look more like the player he was in the 2024-25 season, where he averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists on 40.1% shooting from three-point range and earned his second All-Star selection.

Of course, the Clippers would be better off if he'd look like the version of himself from his first All-Star season, where he averaged 21.7 points and 8.6 assists per game, scoring with efficiency and volume.

Given he'll essentially be stepping into Harden's role as the primary playmaker, he'll have the opportunity to look like the best version of himself.

While landing Garland is exciting for the Clippers in an effort to have a young roster, they made sure to pay their respects to Harden in their statement.

"I can’t overstate what James has meant to our organization in the past two-and-a-half years," said Frank. "He exceeded every expectation and met every challenge...We benefited from his talent, his durability, his competitiveness and his leadership. We’ll always consider him a Clipper."

Looking at just the past season and a half for Harden, he has been sensational, having averaged 23.7 points and 8.5 assists over 123 regular-season games. If Cleveland can get that version of him consistently, they'll increase their chances of contending for a title in the East this season.