DeMarcus Cousins’ take on a possible Donovan Mitchell-James Harden duo
The NBA trade deadline is this week, and one of the most surprising rumors is the potential James Harden trades for the Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly among the frontrunners for the services of the former All-Star quarterback. While the deal isn’t official yet, and could still fall apart, count on the former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins as one who believes in the Cavs should pump the breaks about a possible deal with Harden.
During a recent episode of FanDuel TV’s ‘Run It Back,’ Cousins explained why he was wary of a potential partnership between Harden and the Cavs star Donovan Mitchell in the hinterland.
“On paper, it doesn’t make sense. If you don’t like the Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell situation, bringing in James Harden basically creates the same type of situation. It’s two ball-dominant guards,” Cousins explained. “At the same time, they’re not the best defensively together. It’s more of the same problem. If I’m Donovan Mitchell, I’m not necessarily happy about a potential James Harden move.”
Cousins went on to explain that James Harden aside, he likes the aggressiveness the Cavs are showing in terms of making a trade to try to improve the roster. The Cavs haven’t looked the same as the team that was so dominant during the regular season last year. They are currently 30-21 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Last season they finished with the 1st seed in the East.
The Cavs are reportedly not the only team that has had talks with the LA Clippers that included Harden. But as far as potential frames go, only the Cavs and Darius Garland were mentioned.
The Clippers have recently turned things around as they have won 17 of their last 21 games. Harden was a big part of that rise. He appeared in 44 games and averaged 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 41.9 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from the 3-point line and 90.1 percent from the free throw line.
2026-02-03 19:16:00
