NBA Insider Discusses Sudden Shakeup in Harden's Mentality Before Trade

The NBA trade deadline is delivering! Trae Young was traded weeks ago, the Giannis trade rumors are heating up, and on Tuesday, we had multiple other stars land on new teams. Jaren Jackson Jr. was the first star to be moved when the Utah Jazz acquired him for three first-round picks. Then, in the most shocking trade of the season so far, James Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. 

What made this trade so shocking was that a few days ago, nobody thought Harden was on the trade block. Then, all of a sudden, news started to leak out that Harden and the Clippers were looking to find the veteran star a new home. 

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported on the sudden change between Harden and the Clippers' plans for the future. 

"A few weeks ago, James Harden was waxing poetic about his time in LA, telling ESPN how 'blessed' he'd felt to play in his hometown. I believe he was genuine in those sentiments. But this is a business decision for all involved. Garland is 10 years younger and gives the Clippers more of a future. Harden gets a chance to play for a contender and a better chance to earn some long-term security. Everyone involved knew this summer how tradable that partial guarantee on the second year of Harden's contract made him. All in all, a very different kind of exit than his last few exits."

While it is unclear whether it was Harden or the Clippers that really pushed for this trade to happen, it seems like both sides are happy with the results. Harden gets to play on a contending team, and Garland no longer has to share ball-handling duties with Donovan Mitchell.