President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman made one of the more polarizing and risky trades in Cleveland Cavaliers history on Tuesday night. A move that even Altman himself understands could go haywire.
“We wish Darius [Garland] nothing but the best,” said Altman after the deadline. “Obviously, he’s going to a top-flight organization that’s thrilled to have him playing on an incredible stage… [he’ll] probably make me look bad a few years from now. But that’s all good.”
There’s no doubt that trading a 26-year-old multi-time All-Star for a player near the end of their career is a gamble, no matter how legendary the player. Garland could spend the next decade competing at a high level, while James Harden might run out of gas before the end of his next contract.
Altman, of course, was aware of that before the trade. His comments are more like admiration and well-wishes for Garland than concern for his team. After all, you don’t make this move if you don’t believe Harden can put you over the top.
“Obviously, we made a monumental trade to land James Harden,” said Altman. “We think that he raises our ceiling and gives us a chance to have real playoff success.”
The next few years will be telling as one star potentially continues to rise while the other declines. The results of this trade are, in many ways, a race against Father Time.
On that same note, Harden’s veteran experience is one of the selling points of this trade for Cleveland.
“We’ve gone to the playoffs the last few years largely as a young team, not a very experienced playoff team trying to figure it out,” said Altman. “Now I think we’re adding just a tremendous amount of experience and know-how.”
None of this is news to you if you’ve followed the team closely. They’ve routinely fallen short in the playoffs. And, for all the similar shortcomings of Harden, there’s no denying he at least has more experience than anyone on the roster. Maybe those losses will actually prove to be lessons.
“James is motivated, highly, highly motivated,” said Altman. “He knows this is the last piece to his legacy, and he sees a great chance with us.”
Whether Harden can close his career with a legacy-defining win or not, he is, of course, only one part of this deal. Garland has his own story that has yet to be fully written. And while there seems to be no bad blood between either party — I am positive that Garland is motivated in his own ways after this trade.