James Harden breaks silence on Clippers’ reported trade request
On Monday night, the entire NBA world was stunned to learn of it James Harden’s latest trade request. Harden, amid the Clippers’ recent surge, wanted to move to a different spot, and on Tuesday he got his wish — with The Cleveland Cavaliers send Darius Garland and a second-round pick to finalize their trade for the 36-year-old former MVP.
Harden broke his silence on the matter, revealing that he admires the Clippers’ front office for not complicating the situation further. Furthermore, he also said that teaming up with the Cavs gives him a better chance of winning the ever-elusive championship.
“I can respect (Steve Ballmer) and (Lawrence Frank) and (Tyron Lue) because they didn’t put me in a weird position as much as everybody tried to make it that way,” Harden told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“In Cleveland, I see an opportunity to win in the East—they have a very good team, coaching staff, all of the above. As much as I wanted to stay in LA and try—I’ve never won before. As a basketball mind, I think we have a little better chance.”
“I’m excited for Cleveland — I’m still trying to chase my first championship and do whatever it takes to win.”
Cavs’ James Harden believes he did what was best for the Clippers
The Clippers may have slightly salvaged the 2025-26 season with their strong last month, but Harden saw the writing on the wall for this LA team. Their time as a battle team is coming to an endand believes his departure would pave the way for the eventual rebuilding of his former team.
“(I) didn’t want to feel like I was holding the Clippers in their future. I wanted them to really have a chance to rebuild and get some draft capital,” Harden added. “At the end of the day, it’s a business and I think both sides got what they wanted, they’re in a great place and they’re very happy.”
2026-02-04 05:11:00
