James Harden’s expected debut in Cleveland after the trade
That’s a yet another new chapter for James Harden’s journey in the NBA. The former NBA MVP was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Cavs guard Darius Garland and a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
Harden missed two straight games for the Clippers before being sent to Cleveland for personal reasons, but it won’t be long before the bearded star makes his debut in burgundy and gold. The Cavs are scheduled to play the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night against Harden’s former team, the Clippers, in Inglewood, but that he won’t be where he’s expected to make his debut in Clevelandaccording to NBA insider Chris Haynes.
“Nine-time NBA All-Star James Harden — if acclimatization goes as planned — is expected to make his Cleveland Cavaliers debut against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday, sources say,” Haynes wrote in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The Cavs have been in great form lately, having lost just one game in their last seven appearances against the Clippers. In that same stretch, Cleveland beat the lowly Kings at home 123-118.
In the event that Harden is still not available to suit up Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, the earliest he will be able to see action for Cleveland will be Monday against the Denver Nuggets, when the Cavaliers complete their trip to the Ball Arena in Denver. Meanwhile, the three-time NBA scoring champion can make his home debut for the Cavs on Feb. 11 against the Washington Wizards at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
2026-02-04 22:51:00
