Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell Makes Feelings Clear About James Harden

The Cleveland Cavaliers decided to pair Donovan Mitchell with James Harden by acquiring the former NBA MVP from the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline. The Cavaliers are 3-0 since Harden made his debut against the Sacramento Kings.

After finishing with the best record in the East last season, the Cavaliers fell short of their goal of winning an NBA championship. They ran into a momentum-filled Indiana Pacers team in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Darius Garland was also ailing due to a foot injury that continued to linger this season. The Cavs decided to part ways with Garland and a second-round pick to acquire Harden before the trade deadline.

In his first three games for the Cavs, Harden is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists. The team is 3-0 when he’s playing, with wins over the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards.

The Cavs are set to be tested in three of their first four games after the All-Star break. They face the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday before visiting the Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder. They then return home to welcome the New York Knicks.

Mitchell on Playing with Harden

Donovan Mitchell finally had a chance to open up about the Cleveland Cavaliers’ acquisition of James Harden in an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

Mitchell addressed the critics who are already expecting Mitchell and Harden not to see eye-to-eye since they both need the ball in their hands to be at their best.

However, Mitchell is ready to prove them wrong and make the best out of playing with someone like Harden.

“We’re not here to figure out like who’s bigger, better or whatever,” Mitchell said. “How are we going to win? And I think having that relationship helps. But it also speaks to the type of people that him and I are. We’re trying to figure what’s right.

Mitchell added that Harden is already communicating with him, which is huge for the start of their partnership. Harden knows that he was acquired to help Mitchell and the Cavs and not carry them like he used to with the Houston Rockets.

“For us to coexist, just to be able to communicate and have that open dialog (like) ‘Hey, this is what I see. This is where I can help build off you.’ We are great up here mentally, but also with that relationship, we’re just trying to win the game. I don’t care how it happens,” Mitchell said.

The two stars are comfortable with each other for now, so it will be interesting to see if they can make a huge run to finish the regular season as high in the standings as possible.

Mitchell Will Welcome LeBron James If He Returns to Cleveland

LeBron James‘ future with the Los Angeles Lakers appears to be ending this season. He will be a free agent, and one of the teams already linked to him is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Donovan Mitchell told SiriusXM NBA Radio during All-Star Weekend that he has no problem teaming up with James if he returns to Cleveland for a third stint.

“As a Bron fan, to be able to be a teammate would obviously be special, but that’s not in my control,” Mitchell said. “I control what we got here.”

At 41 years old, James could be closer to retirement, and signing with the Cavaliers for a potential farewell tour would be a storybook ending to one of the greatest careers in NBA history.

Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David