The 2026 NBA trade deadline was one of the most exciting in recent memory, and part of that is because of what the Cleveland Cavaliers did. The team had a disappointing start to the season and Koby Altman decided it was time to make some big changes to the roster, so let’s grade the major moves that the Cavs made.

De’Andre Hunter for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder

This trade gets an A+ for a few reasons. Hunter was having a very rough year in Cleveland, as he was shooting a career low 31% from 3. They were able to turn a negative player this year into 2 guys who can be key contributors the rest of the way. Keon Ellis is a great defender and a solid 37% 3-point shooter, so he fits in well and a 3 and D guy off the bench. Dennis Schroder will be the Cavs replacement for Lonzo Ball, who was having a horrible season as the backup PG. Schroder averaged 12.7 pts and 5.3 asts in Sacramento this year. Cleveland has really struggled offensively with Donovan Mitchell off the floor this season, so picking up Schroder will be huge for the offense off the bench.

Perhaps the best part of this move was the fact that it actually saved the Cavs some salary and got them closer to getting out of the dreaded second apron. For those that don’t know, the NBA second apron is a threshold in the salary that punishes teams that go over it by limiting what can be done in trades, and freezing future draft picks, so a major priority for the Cavs in the near future needs to be getting under that apron so they have some flexibility moving forward. This trade is a great step in the right direction for the salary, while also greatly improving the team’s depth for the rest of the season.

Darius Garland for James Harden

The Cavs made it very clear with this move that they are going all in on the next few years in trying to win a championship. I’ll give this trade an A-, but that grade could be a lot lower depending on how they perform in the postseason. Darius Garland was in Cleveland for 7 years and was a fan favorite for many, so this is a difficult one for a lot of the fanbase to understand. Cleveland made this deal because of Garland’s issues staying healthy. He’s a fantastic offensive player when he plays, but unfortunately his body just doesn’t seem to be able to hold up through an NBA season. The lingering foot injuries have kept him out for a lot of this season, and the team just simply didn’t want to risk having another playoff run ruined by injuries, so they went and found a more reliable replacement in James Harden.

You can say what you want about Harden’s struggles in the playoffs, but the reality is that he’s one of the greatest offensive players of all time and he’s still playing at a very high level. Harden is averaging 25.4 pts and 8.1 asts on the year and is clearly a better player than Garland at this stage of his career. While he’s never been known as a great defender, Harden being 6’5 220 lbs already makes him less of a liability on that end of the floor. He’s always been a special passer, and he will surely elevate Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley offensively as soon as he’s on the floor. It’s a no brainer trade in the short term, however Harden being 36 does make this a very risky move in the long term. If it results in a championship run in the next 2 years then this was obviously a home run move, but if they end up losing in the second round again, then this would end up looking really bad, as the window to win has been shortened so drastically.

Overall Thoughts

There’s no doubt that the Cavaliers are a better team after the trade deadline, but the pressure is on for the rest of the year. With rumors that the team is worried about losing Donovan Mitchell in a few years, the time to get to the NBA Finals is now. The Eastern Conference is very flawed this year and there’s no team as talented as Cleveland on this side of the bracket, so if they can’t get it done this year, then there may be more drastic changes on the horizon this offseason.