There are two likely motivations for this trade on Cleveland's end. The first is durability. Garland has dealt with a toe injury dating back to last postseason. He missed time early in the season, came back and struggled, slowly worked his way back into form, but aggravated the injury and has now been out since Jan. 14. He dealt with a variety of injuries earlier in his career, including a torn meniscus when he was in college. The second motivator is likely financial. Harden and Garland make almost identical salaries this season, but Harden's contract is only partially guaranteed for next season, and given his age, he is unlikely to be a long-term fixture on their books.

The Clippers end of this deal is more obvious. They just turned a 36-year-old star point guard into a 26-year-old star point guard. The Clippers, built around Harden and the 34-year-old Kawhi Leonard, were the oldest team in the NBA entering this season.