Cleveland, OH
Pros and Cons of Cleveland Cavaliers Trading for James Harden
During the offseason, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland had surgery to repair an injury he had on his toe. He has played in 26 of the team’s 50 games this season and recently suffered another toe injury, but this time on the other foot.
There have been multiple mock trades involving Cleveland’s point guard all season, but it seems that one move has caught the Cavaliers’ eye.
As first reported by Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, the Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers have had advanced discussions over a trade that would send James Harden to Cleveland in exchange for Garland.
Sources: Clippers, Cavs, have had advanced discussions on a James Harden-Darius Garland swap. Details: https://t.co/vIl1CMK6L9
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 3, 2026
Why Make This Trade
The Cavaliers entertaining moves for Garland is realistic. Last season, the core four were the best team in the East and came up short in the playoffs. When a team falls short of their expectations, somebody is bound to be the scapegoat.
Some may have assumed that center Jarrett Allen would be that guy as he was not the best in the playoffs, but Allen was the first player the Cavs traded for when deciding to go all in on winning a ring.
Garland has also been injury prone his entire career, with last season being the only time he played over 70 games.
If the Cavaliers think that Garland’s injuries are holding them back, then finding the right move would have been really important.
Getting a player like Harden could solve those issues. Harden has had injuries in his career, but has more experience than Garland and has won multiple NBA awards. He won the MVP award in 2018 when he averaged a triple-double.
Harden is better than Garland maybe, but can you give up the future for it?
Why Not Make This Trade
Age has to be the biggest reason as to why you don’t make this move. Harden is 36 and turns 37 in August of this year. Garland has 10 less years on him as he just turned 26. He has not even reached his prime technically in the NBA.
Harden has also been a locker room issue on teams he’s played for. When he was in Philadelphia, he had an infamous incident where he had a big falling out with president Daryl Morey.
Harden has caused issues at every team in his career. He has not played the last two games for the Clippers as Ty Lue announced on Monday he was not with the team.
The Los Angeles Clippers and 11-time All-Star James Harden are working through whether the sides can find a deal by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, sources tell ESPN. Both sides are aligned in conversations together and with interested teams. pic.twitter.com/XzvCz0fc4w
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 3, 2026
Garland has also shown to be one of the biggest factors to the Cavs playing well, when he is on the court Donovan Mitchell is better which has to be considered. Can Harden bring that to Mitchell’s game?
This trade would be a massive shift for Cleveland to make if they are really considering this season as a make or break year. Giving up Garland could have a massive impact on the team’s morale and chemistry.
Cleveland, OH
Woman found dead in backyard of Cleveland home
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A woman was found dead in the backyard of a home on the city’s West side Friday morning.
Officers responded to the 3400 block of Bosworth Rd. around 9 a.m. for a welfare check.
This is in the city’s West Boulevard neighborhood.
When officers arrived at the home, they found the victim.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Officer will now determine the victim’s name and cause of death.
A child connected to the woman has been located and confirmed safe, said Cleveland police.
Police added the circumstances regarding the death remain under investigation.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Extreme heat warning ends Friday evening: What to expect
This forecast is outdated and inaccurate. Get the latest forecast here.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — (WJW) — The National Weather Service has extended its EXTREME HEAT WARNING for all of Northeast Ohio.
It will remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 3, in Ashland, Ashtabula, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning Medina, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties; and until 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, in Carroll, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties.
The heat waves continues! An EXTREME HEAT WARNING will remain in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. Heat indices could top 105 degrees during the hottest time of day on Friday.
Once again, there will not be much relief from the heat and humidity overnight. Tonight lows will be in the mid to upper 70s again. Feeling warmer with the higher humidity. Mostly clear skies.
Friday will be the last sweltering summer day before the heat starts to back off for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. There is the chance of rain and storms Friday evening, around 7pm that could go through the late evening. This may impact some 4th of July celebrations on Friday. Any storm that pops up we’ll have to watch for the potential of gusty winds, heavy downpours and large hail.
This is what the radar could look like by the time some Fireworks celebrations are expected Friday evening. We have a level 2 out of 5 chance of any storm turning severe, meaning that 1 or 2 have the chance.
The upper-level ridge, or heat dome, will start to breakdown on Friday. This means two things. The first is it will go from being very hot and humid to being very warm and humid. The second thing is the chance of rain and threat of storms will return.
The Fourth of July holiday weekend will be far from a washout! There will be more dry time than time with downpours and storms. However, clusters of downpours and storms will move through Northeast Ohio at times. This means some Fourth of July events, backyard BBQs, pool parties, and firework shows could be impacted by rain and storms.
With all the heat and humidity around, any downpours or storms that develop could be strong and produce gusty winds, small hail, torrential rain, and lightning. Here’s the latest 8 Day Forecast:
Keep up with FOX 8 News for the latest weather updates.
Cleveland, OH
Mason and Bell preview all-Ohio showdown – FIGHTMAG
Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell previewed their championship bout and came face to face at the press conference. The two fighters square off this Saturday, July 4, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.
- Cleveland-based 22-year-old southpaw Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) of Bedford, Ohio, defends his WBO lightweight title after claiming the vacant belt last November by decision against Sam Noakes.
- Toledo’s 33-year-old Bell (28-0, 9 KOs), who makes his first bid to become a champion, took the fight on short notice, replacing Joe Cordina of Wales.
See below what Mason and Bell had to say at the press conference on Thursday, following the open workout.
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Mason: I’m prepared to come out on top
“I’m excited. I’m super excited,” Mason said. “This is something me and my brothers have been looking forward to doing since we were amateurs. We fought on the same card a few times as amateurs, and all of us did it together on the last show my father threw here in Cleveland. It was huge.”
“At that time, we were like, ‘Yo, when we do this on a professional level, it’s going to be big for Cleveland.’ And now, it’s big for not only Cleveland, but it’s on TNT, so this is a national stage, a world stage with DAZN. I’m just excited to be able to put this show on with two of my brothers on the card.”
“I feel like it [fight vs Sam Noakes] was definitely a much-needed experience. That’s not the type of fight you have all the time in your career. It was something I felt like I had to do that night. Every fight is different, and it definitely gave me some insight into how I’ll approach the rest of my career. So, it was a much-needed experience and a great fight.”
“It [opponent change] was definitely unexpected. Albert Bell – that’s our guy from Toledo. But it’s boxing. You’ve got to be prepared for anything, and I’m prepared to come out on top. Everything happens for a reason.”
“One thing I do want to say is, I’m the youngest world champion in boxing for a reason, and I’m prepared to show that when I step into the ring.”
“Boxing is offense, defense and IQ, and you’ve got to put it together and tailor it to the person you’re stepping in the ring with. So, with the opponent switch, I just have to tailor it to the person across the ring from me, and that’s Albert Bell.”
Bell: We’re here now, and that’s all that matters
“I mean, it caught me by surprise,” Bell said on stepping in to face Mason on short notice. “It was an ideal opponent for me. I wasn’t really thinking about fighting Abdullah, especially not this soon. But everything made sense. I talked to my pops about it, and it made sense, so I stepped in to save the card, get my world title opportunity and put on a show for all of Ohio.”
“I mean, I get turned down by a lot of guys. I’m not saying that in a cocky way or trying to act like I’m the boogeyman or anything like that, but a lot of guys say no when my name comes across their table. I would’ve had the name I was supposed to have by now if it weren’t for that, but what’s delayed is not denied. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
“I just need to be the best version of myself. I know he’s coming to be the best version of himself. He’s prepared, I’m prepared. We’re ready. We’re two top fighters, and we’re professionals. We’re both Ohioans. We’ve got history with each other, and it’s gonna be a show for sure.”
Mason vs Bell undercard
In the co-feature, Bruce Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) of Brooklyn makes the first defense of his WBC featherweight title against Rene Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs) of Mexico.
On the undercard, Cleveland’s Delante “Tiger” Johnson (17-0, 8 KOs) takes on Canada-based Mexican Christopher Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs) at welterweight.
Plus, Deric Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland, and Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs) of Spain by way of Ecuador, square off at lightweight.
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