The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a hot topic this offseason. First it was about how they missed out on LeBron James. Now the conversation has shifted to how the Cavs will add another star around Donovan Mitchell and company to keep up the elites of the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, James Harden remains unsigned. Although the Cavs fully intend to bring back Harden, the 11-time All-Star they acquired ahead of last season’s trade deadline, a recent report revealed Harden could grow impatient.
“Harden has been a true team player in waiting to re-sign with the Cavaliers as Cleveland was first dabbling in LeBron and his free agency,” NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Tuesday. And now that they’ve looked at various (moves) to get either Watson and Kuminga. I do wonder how long Harden is going to be willing to wait. Draymond Green re-upped with the Golden State Warriors the very next week after LeBron signed with Philadelphia. There was some thought that Harden would be re-signing with Cleveland around the same timeline. He will be paid handsomely by the Cavs, but I do wonder how long he waits.”
Cavaliers Have Path to Perfect Addition in James Harden Trade
GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 19: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in action against the New York Knicks during Game One of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Harden and Mitchell showed how effectively they could operate together as a star backcourt. But the Cavs might be better suited putting the basketball in Mitchell’s hands full time and landing a standout two-way forward who can play off Mitchell’s scoring while taking on the task of guarding the opposing team’s top scoring threat.
In a hypothetical scenario, the Cavs pick up the phone and call the Miami Heat to initiate conversation for a trade revolving around Harden and one-time All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins. Here is a proposed three-team framework involving the Detroit Pistons that would benefit everyone.
Cavs receive: Andrew Wiggins, Dru Smith and a 2029 first round pick (via MIA)
Heat receives: James Harden and a 2030 second round pick (via DET)
Pistons receive: Dennis Schroder
This trade is hypothetical and intended to give each team a solution to its roster needs, while giving Cleveland a star wing who promises to produce a cleaner fit alongside Mitchell than Harden.
So, why do all three teams execute this trade?
Why Cleveland, Miami and Detroit Do the Deal
For the Cavs, letting Harden go after just half a season alongside Mitchell might seem premature, but the team needs to get back to the formula it established in the 2024-25 season, where it won north of 60 regular season games.
The Cavs need to make Mitchell the unquestioned primary option and allow him to be the full time playmaker. Moving Harden would provide that opening. Wiggins, meanwhile, is the ideal wing alongside a score-first guard. A 31-year-old former All-Star, Wiggins proved his championship-level impact for the Golden State Warriors throughout their run to the 2022 NBA championship.
In the six-game series victory over the Boston Celtics, Wiggins was arguably the Warriors’ second-best player. He averaged 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Those numbers were nice but didn’t nearly illustrate the impact Wiggins had on each game.
With Wiggins, the Cavs would be following that proven winning formula.
For the Heat, a team whose shortage of a playmaking ballhandler started screaming the moment Giannis Antetokounmpo arrived, Harden would take the Heat up another level simply because he would give the slashing Antetokounmpo a set-up man. Losing Wiggins would hurt, particularly on the defensive end, but the offensive boost Harden would provide could more than make up for it. Miami would also retain Davion Mitchell, one of the league’s top perimeter defenders, while already having a pair of defensive dynamos in Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo manning the frontcourt. In other words, the Heat would be giving up some defensive versatility for a massive offensive upgrade, but the overall result could be a significantly more complete team.
The Pistons, as facilitators in the deal, come away with Schroder, who would serve as the secondary ballhandler behind Cade Cunningham.
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