CLEVELAND (AP) — Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing their best basketball over the past three weeks, Koby Altman and the front office had concluded that they could not stand pat with their roster.
Altman, the team's President of Basketball Operations, is hoping the addition of 11-time All-Star James Harden, along with Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder, continues the Cavaliers' climb up the Eastern Conference standings and gives them momentum for a postseason run.
“I think it’s fair to say we had an underwhelming start to the season, but every year you look at how can I improve the roster? And every year you canvas the league,” Altman said “Obviously, we made a monumental trade to land James Harden. We think that he raises our ceiling and gives us a chance to have real playoff success. This is not a trade that we took lightly, but we do know that James is going to help us and so we’re excited to welcome him. And then adding Dennis and Keon, adding to our depth there, our defensive prowess.”
The Cavaliers parted with one of their core four players in Darius Garland to get Harden. Garland was a two-time All-Star in his seven seasons with the Cavaliers after being the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
Garland has battled injuries to the big toe on both of his feet for nearly a year. He has missed 27 games this season after having offseason surgery.
The Clippers reached out to the Cavaliers last month to gauge their interest in trading for Harden. Altman pointed out because Harden had an opt-out clause in his contract, Harden had a defacto no-trade clause and could determine where he wanted to go.
“He sought us out as a destination, to where he wants to be and compete for a championship,” Altman said. “We would have been perfectly happy having Darius return to this roster after the deadline. This was not someone that was available somewhere we were trying to move. This became an opportunity that we exercised. He was getting back to a high level of play.”
Harden's Cavaliers debut could come Saturday at Sacramento. Cleveland finishes up a five-game trip in Denver on Monday before returning home to face Washington on Wednesday.
Cleveland was 19-15 at one point, but has gone 12-5 since Jan. 1. It's .706 winning percentage is second-best in the league. The Cavaliers (31-21) are fourth in the Eastern Conference, but only 2 1/2 games out of second.
Besides trading Garland, the Cavaliers dealt DeAndre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Ellis and Schroder and sent Lonzo Ball to the Utah Jazz. Even with taking on Harden's contract, Cleveland lowered its luxury tax bill overall with the moves.
“We really felt like we got a lot better in this deadline. I’ll say this, it’s very rare to improve your team and save $100 million at the same time,” Altman said.
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FILE - Koby Altman, the president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers, answers a question at a news conference in Independence, Ohio, May 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
Giannis Antetokounmpo remained with the Milwaukee Bucks while plenty of other players changed addresses as the NBA trade deadline passed Thursday.
An extremely busy deadline, at that: There were 28 trades made in the week leading up to the deadline, the most that the NBA has seen in over that timeframe in the last 20 years — with 18 of those trades getting finalized by teams Thursday in the hours before the deadline.
That ties a deadline-day record, set two years ago. And 27 teams were involved in at least one trade in the week leading up to the deadline, tying another league record.
But none of them involved Antetokounmpo, who had been the center of attention heading into the trade deadline amid reports that the Milwaukee Bucks started listening to offers for the two-time MVP and nine-time all-NBA selection. The deadline came at 3 p.m., and Antetokounmpo wasn't going anywhere.
Antetokounmpo, who hasn’t played since straining his right calf on Jan. 23, has spent his entire 13-year career with Milwaukee and led the Bucks to a title in 2021.
Antetokounmpo repeatedly has said that he loves playing in Milwaukee, but he also has emphasized that he wants to continue playing for a team that’s committed to competing for championships. The Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last three seasons and are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Memphis' Ja Morant also hadn't been traded as of the deadline, even though his future had been the subject of much speculation over the last few weeks.
Morant has spent his entire career in Memphis, but the Grizzlies are 11th in the Western Conference standings and already dealt two-time All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz this week as part of a roster overhaul.
Although he’s a two-time All-Star in his own right, Morant has seen his stock fall lately because of injuries and off-court issues as well as a drop in production.
There were some notable trades to take place Thursday, but none of them involved anyone with Antetokounmpo's star power.
Indiana acquired 7-footer Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers. Minnesota added some potential bench scoring by getting Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls. New York gained some backcourt depth by landing Jose Alvarado from New Orleans.
Most of the biggest names to change teams did so in trades that were reported earlier in the week. That list of players included 2018 MVP and 11-time All-Star James Harden as well as five-time all-NBA selection Anthony Davis.
The Indiana Pacers paid a big price to get a big man. The Pacers sent Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson and up to three draft picks to the Los Angeles Clippers, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced.
Zubac, who turns 29 next month, has averaged 14.4 points and 11 rebounds this season. The 7-footer gives Indiana a reliable center that could help the defending Eastern Conference champions contend again when Tyrese Haliburton returns from his Achilles injury next season.
Mathurin, 23, was averaging 17.8 points for Indiana.
The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Dosunmu and forward Julian Phillips from Chicago in exchange for guard Rob Dillingham, forward Leonard Miller and four second-round draft picks.
Dosunmu is making about $7.5 million in the final season of his current contract. The 26-year-old is averaging a career-high 15 points per game and shooting a career-best 45.1% from 3-point range. He will fill an obvious need for the Timberwolves for more offense off the bench.
Toronto added a future Hall of Famer in Chris Paul, who will likely never play for the Raptors, to get below the luxury tax threshold.
The Raptors traded with the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul, at least on paper. Toronto also sent forward Ochai Agbaji, a future second-round pick and cash to the Nets, the Raptors announced.
Paul — who is expected to retire after this season — was sent home by the Clippers in November but remained on their payroll.
The Cleveland Cavaliers sent guard Lonzo Ball to the Utah Jazz for a pair of second-round draft picks.
Ball appeared in 35 games, including three starts, and averaged 4.6 points, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 20.8 minutes. The Jazz will be the fifth team for Ball in his seven-year career.
The Knicks and Pelicans made a last-hour deal Thursday to send Jose Alvarado to New York for two second-round picks and Dalen Terry, who they acquired in a separate deal with Chicago, a person with knowledge of the deal told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade hadn’t been announced publicly.
The Clippers sent Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for two-time All-Star Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick. The 26-year-old Garland is 10 years younger than Harden.
Davis is going from the Dallas Mavericks to the Washington Wizards as part of an eight-player trade. The Wizards are receiving Davis, Jaden Hardy, D’Angelo Russell and Dante Exum in exchange for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, Malaki Branham, Marvin Bagley III, two first-round picks and three second-round selections.
The Wizards eventually can pair Davis with four-time All-Star guard Trae Young, who came to Washington last month in a trade with Atlanta. Davis and Young are both currently injured.
Dallas then sent Branham to Charlotte in exchange for point guard Tyus Jones. Charlotte had acquired Jones from Orlando earlier in the week.
The Hawks acquired Gabe Vincent and a 2032 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for shooting guard Luke Kennard. Atlanta also received Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield from the Golden State Warriors for Kristaps Porzingis.
Each of the conference leaders also has made a move this week.
The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Jared McCain from the Philadelphia 76ers for a 2026 first-round draft pick and three second-round selections. The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons got Kevin Huerter from the Chicago Bulls as part of a four-team trade.
The Boston Celtics announced later Thursday that they acquired guard John Tonje from the Jazz in exchange for forward Chris Boucher, a future second-round pick, and cash considerations.
AP Pro Basketball Writers Tim Reynolds and Brian Mahoney, and AP Sports Writers Dave Campbell, Schuyler Dixon, Joe Reedy, Charles Odum and Michael Marot contributed to this report.
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Chicago Bulls' Ayo Dosunmu loses the ball in front of Milwaukee Bucks' AJ Green during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, left, goes up for a shot against Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant looks on from the bench in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo blows a bubble on the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo sits on the bench during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo smiles on the bench with Thanasis Antetokounmpo during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
