Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Things change quickly in the NBA. Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers know that better than anyone else. This past trade deadline came with many changes, from small moves like salary dumping Lonzo Ball to seismic changes like swapping Darius Garland for 11-time All-Star James Harden.
In our last fan survey, we focused on that big move.
Forgive the typo on our graphic. I didn’t want to bother our team with changing this on short notice. But we asked Cavs fans (not Rockets fans) to grade the Harden trade. Here are the results:
Roughly two-thirds of Cavs fans gave this move an A. Only 1% of fans gave it below a C, and zero fans thought this was an F.
We should clarify that the survey was held this week. So this isn’t an immediate reaction to the Harden trade. Seeing three straight wins with Harden dishing the ball has certainly raised our opinions of the deal.
For our second question, we wanted to know if this move raised Cleveland’s ceiling. To no surprise, the fans again showed that they are all-in on the beard.
A whopping 96% of Cavs fans believe their ceiling is higher now with Harden. That’s probably the highest percentage we’ve had on a survey yet. I can’t necessarily blame them. The Cavs have won five straight and hold the best record in the NBA since December 29th.
FanDuel has Cleveland with the sixth-highest odds to win the NBA Finals. They rank third in the East, behind the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. I’d expect those numbers to improve if the Cavs keep rolling after the All-Star Break.