Cavs Leverage Tiny Salary Gap to Swap Darius Garland for James Harden
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Cleveland, OH — The Cleveland Cavaliers finalized a one-for-one trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, sending guard Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round pick west in exchange for veteran star James Harden.
The transaction hinged on a razor-thin salary difference. Garland is earning $39.45 million this season, narrowly topping Harden’s $39.18 million. That $270,000 edge allowed Cleveland, which is operating above the NBA’s second apron, to meet league rules that bar over-the-apron teams from taking back additional salary or aggregating contracts.
Harden, 36, had to approve the move by waiving his implicit no-trade clause. He also agreed to forgo a 15 percent trade bonus worth about $2.3 million to keep the deal cap-compliant.
The guard’s contract provides Cleveland with future flexibility: only $13.32 million of Harden’s $42.32 million salary for 2024-25 is guaranteed. His on-court production remains strong—he is averaging 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 44 games while shooting nearly 91 percent from the free-throw line.
Garland, 26, has battled toe and ankle injuries and has faced long-standing questions about his fit beside All-Star Donovan Mitchell. The Cavaliers are 13-13 with Garland in the lineup and 17-8 without him, entering play at 30-21 after a 64-win campaign last season.
This is Cleveland’s second trade in three days; the club dealt DeAndre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis in a three-team arrangement with the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. EST.
Source: Hoops Wire
