3 trades the Cleveland Cavaliers can get in on Damian Lillard, James Harden and Pascal Siakam

Sep 26, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during media day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 26, 2022; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during media day at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) blocks the shot attempt of Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) blocks the shot attempt of Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

James Harden

The James Harden trade is as dumb as they come but here’s how the Cleveland Cavaliers can benefit from this trade.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers get Zach Lavine The Philadelphia 76ers get DeMar DeRozan and Norman Powell The New York Knicks get Donovan Mitchell and Mike Scott via a sign-and-trade The Los Angeles Clippers get James Harden and Lonzo Ball The Chicago Bulls get Evan Fournier, Marcus Morris Sr., Mitchell Robinson, Niclas Batum, Robert Covington, and Isaiah Hartenstein. They also get three first-round draft picks (Dallas’ 24 & New Yorks’ 25 from New York, LA Clippers ’28), and five second-round picks (IND, UTA, or CLE’s ’24 from LAC, GSW’s 24 & MIL’s 25  from CLE, ’27 and ’30 from PHI)."

Why this trade works for everyone:

Cleveland is able to flip Mitchell for a player with a slightly longer contract and a desire to win.

Harden doesn’t want to play in Philadelphia, get back a player in DeMar DeRozan who can help them compete, while adding depth in Norman Powell. Plus, they gave up the least draft capital.

The New York Knicks get their prized player a few years earlier while he is still in his prime.

The Clippers land Harden, the player they want, and get a player in Lonzo Ball who, if he ever gets healthy, could be the future of the team.

While the Bulls did just re-sign Nikola Vucevic, they could easily flip him at the trade deadline for more picks. The Bulls get out of a lot of back contracts. Lavine, Rozen, and Ball cost them a lot of money, and would continue to do so for a few years. Each player they got back, save for Fournier, is on a one-year deal. They can have cap space in 2024. Not only that, but they land the first-round picks, and five second-round picks as well. They could easily jump-start their rebuild in one or two seasons with these moves.