The Cleveland Cavs are just two days away from kicking off their 2026 postseason run with Game 1 of their first round series against the Toronto Raptors at home. Expectations are high for the Cavs this year after their midseason trade acquisition of James Harden, sending Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in return.
While Cavs star Donovan Mitchell has clearly enjoyed playing alongside Harden in the backcourt, he recently shot back at the narrative that he in some way forced Cleveland to make the deal.
“…when I’m talking about Cleveland, I’m talking about the organization. I felt like, okay, yes, there was a business, like ‘Yes, let’s do this.’ But I never went to them and was like, ‘Yo, let’s do this.’ And that’s why I appreciated it, because this was on them,” said Mitchell, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Mitchell also reiterated that his joy in Cleveland would have been true regardless of whether the team had traded for Harden.
“I’ve said this many times, Sam, and I don’t know why people don’t believe me. But I really like it here,” he said.
While Mitchell is adamant that he didn’t influence the Cavs’ hand in trading for Harden, the partnership has paid dividends so far, with the team playing some excellent basketball with the future Hall of Famer in the mix and now ending up seemingly in a favorable position in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
Harden and Mitchell both have some well-documented playoff demons they’d like to shake off this year, and they’ll get their first chance to start doing that on Saturday at 1:00 pm ET when Game 1 against the Raptors tips off.