James

Harden

Playing in front of the Cavaliers faithful as a member of the team for the first time, Harden took a back seat as a scorer on Wednesday. He focused more on setting up his teammates, leading to 11 assists. Through three games in Cleveland, The Beard has accumulated 26 assists. He was responsible for six turnovers, but Harden totaled five in his first two appearances. The Cavaliers complete Week 17 with three games after the All-Star break.

It was Donovan Mitchell that hit the game-winning free throws, but the game was only tied because Harden hit a late triple. The first two games of Harden’s tenure in Cleveland have been wins, and he has been productive for fantasy managers during those. His usage has dipped slightly through the first two games, though that hasn’t limited his impact in the box score. He’ll look to keep it up against the Wizards on Wednesday.

Harden commended his new teammates for how together, connected and unselfish they are, saying he’s just happy to be there. The 36-year-old point guard played his role just fine Saturday. Harden took a back seat to Donovan Mitchell when it came to scoring, but he was able to dish out eight assists in the flow of the offense and also made 5-of-8 from behind the three-point line. His fantasy value figures to remain pretty high in Cleveland.

Harden is set to make his Cavaliers’ debut. And to no one’s surprise, he will do so as a starter. Dean Wade is listed as probable, but he may have been the player selected to go to the bench if he were healthy. Tyson remaining in the starting lineup means he remains a player worth holding in 12-team leagues.

Without Ivica Zubac and James Harden, who were both traded ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, Leonard led the new-look Clippers to a win on Friday, ending a two-game skid. The two-time Finals MVP reached the 30-point mark for the first time since mid-January and set a new season-high in assists in the process. Leonard also fell one rebound short of a double-double, posting one of his more balanced performances of the season. Until the Clippers get their newly acquired players into the lineup, particularly Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, expect Leonard to shoulder most of the load on a nightly basis.

Mitchell and the Cavaliers took care of the Clippers with relative ease, winning the first quarter by a 36-18 margin and not looking back. How the partnership between him and James Harden works out remains to be seen, since The Beard wasn’t available, but adding Harden to the mix should alleviate some of the playmaking pressure on Mitchell. The hope is that Harden will make his Cavaliers’ debut on Saturday against the Kings.

Rumors of the Clippers and Cavaliers discussing a trade first surfaced Monday evening, and the two sides agreed on a deal within one day. Harden, whose contract for the 2026-27 season is only partially guaranteed if he picks up the play option, now joins forces with Donovan Mitchell to give the Cavaliers an experienced (and currently healthy) playmaker. Once he gets to Cleveland, Harden will likely push Sam Merrill or Jaylon Tyson to the bench, with the latter having an excellent second season in the NBA.

SI’s Chris Mannix also reported that the Clippers and Cavaliers are discussing a deal that would center around a swap of Harden and Darius Garland. Desperation tends to rise when pressure increases, and the trade deadline will do just that for teams that are looking to contend. Harden has missed the last two games due to personal reasons, and it seems there is a real possibility he has played his final game as a Clipper.

This will be a second straight game that Harden will be away from the team for. Kobe Sanders replaced him in the starting lineup and scored 12 points in 31 minutes. He should remain a starter, and he should be in for another decent night, though managers shouldn’t expect much more from him.

Harden will not be available for Sunday’s game for personal reasons. His absence leaves a massive hole in the Clippers’ lineup, especially given the team’s lack of point guards. Kris Dunn’s playing time will likely increase after he logged 25 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Nuggets. Also, Kawhi Leonard is likely to spend more time on the ball initiating offense.