Koby Altman has broken up the Core Four after four years of insisting the group he put together would lead the Cavaliers to NBA championships. The Cavs, around 8 p.m. Feb. 3 and less than 48 hours before the 3 p.m. Feb. 5 trade deadline, traded All-Star guard Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick to the Clippers for 16-year veteran guard James Harden. Shams Charania of ESPN broke the news. The Cavaliers did not confirm the trade in time for this edition. BREAKING: The Los Angeles Clippers are trading James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. Prolific swap of the star point guards. pic.twitter.com/IHhhhabJnX — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2026 The Cavs are also exploring trade options for Anthony Davis of the Mavericks and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks, but the Garland-for-Harden swap is a game-changer. The Cavs have gone 10 years without winning a championship. Coincidentally, the Cavaliers are in Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Feb. 4. Garland, who has missed nine straight games with a sprained big toe on his right foot, did not practice with the team Feb. 3 in Los Angeles, but he did work out on the side, according to reports. Darius Garland watches on Jan. 26 against the Magic. (Tim Phillis - For The News-Herald) The Core Four of Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen had been together since Mitchell was acquired in a trade with the Jazz in September 2022. The Cavs were knocked out in the play-in tournament in 2022, the first round in 2023 and the Eastern Conference semifinals the last two years. Altman apparently, and probably reluctantly, concluded the backcourt of Garland and Mitchell could not get it done in the playoffs. Many critics expressed the same concern for three years running. The Cavaliers, 30-21, are fifth in the Eastern Conference. They have won eight of their last 10 games. The question wasn’t about how the the Cavs would succeed in the balance of the regular season without the blockbuster trade as much as whether they could go deeper into the playoffs in what is considered a weak East had they remained status quo. Plus, Garland’s health is a true concern. Garland, a first-round draft pick by the Cavs in 2019, at 26 is 10 years younger than Harden. The 6-foot-1 guard is averaging 18 points and 6.9 assists a game. He has played in 26 of 51 games this year with the Cavs, all starts. Harden is not an enthusiastic defender, to put it delicately. But he is a prolific scorer and passer. He has played in 44 games with the Clippers, all starts, and is averaging 25.4 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. The Cavs recently traded De’Andre Hunter to the Kins for Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis. Acquiring Harden is a much bigger deal. It changes the entire dynamic of the Cavaliers’ locker room. Part of the Cavaliers’ success is the way the players all get along. Mitchell is the face of the franchise. How Harden fits in remains to be seen. Harden wanted to be traded from the Clippers because he is unhappy with his contract. He reportedly wants a two-year, $80 million contract extension after this season. The Cavaliers are in a win-now mode and apparently believe Harden, an 11-time All-Star, can help them get to the top despite being 36 years old. Being unhappy is nothing new for Harden. He forced his way out of Houston in 2021, out of Brooklyn in 2022, out of Philadelphia in 2023 — and now he is a Cavalier, at least for the rest of the season. Altman might be done trading, but maybe not. Acquiring Antetokounmpo would be the only move that could top breaking up the Core Four for Harden. The Cavaliers would likely have to part with Evan Mobley to have any chance of acquiring Antetokounmpo from the Bucks. Counting on Davis would be a risk because the 6-foot-10 center has a long injury history. He has played in only 20 games this season. He has been out since Jan. 8 and a ligament injury in his left hand. ...read more read less