The Cleveland Cavaliers have seemingly already made one of the defining decisions of their offseason before their season has even ended. James Harden is expected to remain a centerpiece of the franchise moving forward despite his topsy-turvy postseason thus far.
League-wide expectation, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, is that Cleveland will retain Harden on a new multiyear contract regardless of how the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Detroit Pistons concludes. The Cavaliers traded longtime point guard Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers specifically with multiple seasons in mind and have taken multiple steps to create that bond. This includes head coach Kenny Atkinson treating the 36-year-old as a “partner from their first conversation.”
“Though a formal agreement is not allowed to be completed before the offseason, there is an understanding that the Cavs plan to work out a new deal to retain Harden, sources said,” Windhorst wrote.
Harden was seen addressing the team after Atkinson’s victory speech post-Game 5, with the HC well aware that some of his best basketball has come when he had a similar dynamic with Mike D’Antoni at the Houston Rockets. Financially, the Cavaliers’ payroll reportedly sits at roughly $226 million before luxury tax penalties, with total financial commitments exceeding $280 million. Retaining Harden likely involves restructuring his current situation into a longer-term deal with a lower annual cap hit, giving Cleveland some flexibility.
However, Harden has once again had a mixed postseason, although recent games against Detroit have shown exactly what he can bring. He is averaging 24 points per game alongside 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds in his last four appearances and has been a major reason why the series has gone to Game 7.
Regardless, as things stand, it appears as though James Harden and the Cavs are set to continue together, regardless of whether the Cavs can reach the conference finals.