Darius Garland thanked the Cleveland Cavaliers for his tenure with the organization after he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for James Harden on Tuesday.
“I’ll never forget the night I was drafted to Cleveland back in 2019 and everything I’ve gained since,” Garland said in a statement posted on X. “This city taught me more than I could’ve imagined. To the coaches, staff, front office, the Gilbert family, my teammates, and the fans – thank you for the love and support. Cleveland will always be a second home, and I’ll carry these memories with me forever.”
Los Angeles also received a second-round draft pick from Cleveland in the swap.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank explained why the team chose to add Garland.
“We are trying to get younger while continuing to win, and Darius allows us to do both,” Frank said, per Mark Medina of EssentiallySports. “He is a two-time All-Star who just turned 26 and a highly skilled point guard with excellent feel. Darius is an adept shooter and passer, a quick decision-maker and a respected teammate who has shown the ability to run an elite offense. We are excited to win with him and grow with him.”
Garland was in the midst of his seventh season with the Cavaliers prior to the trade, as they selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
His career progression coincided with Cleveland’s rise up the Eastern Conference standings, posting a 19-46 record during his rookie year before wrapping up a 64-18 finish last season.
Garland earned two All-Star nods with the Cavaliers, averaging 18.8 points and 6.7 assists per game on 45.3/38.6/86.7 shooting splits as a member of the organization.
He sits at No. 3 on Cleveland’s all-time assists leaderboard and No. 9 on the team’s all-time scoring list.
Garland has struggled with availability during his 2025-26 campaign, appearing in just 26 of the Cavaliers’ first 51 games due to injuries. He’s also been sidelined since Jan. 14 with a toe sprain.
The 26-year-old struggled to make a consistent impact when healthy, owning the second-worst net rating among all Cavs players to appear in at least 25 games this season (via NBA.com).
Garland will now join a Clippers squad that only sits at No. 9 in the Western Conference standings with a 23-26 record, but they’ve won 17 of their past 22 games.
Meanwhile, Harden is set to join Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland’s backcourt as the team attempts to clinch a fourth consecutive playoff appearance.