The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed guard James Harden of Los Angeles, California to a three-year contract worth $97 according to Chicco Nacion of The Score. The contract may be a little surprising when you consider two factors. Harden has been dealing with legal problems lately (charged with unlawfully carrying a gun in a motor vehicle in Texas), and is past his prime at 36 years old.
The signing of Harden comes the same week the Cavaliers made a trade with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. In the transaction, they acquired small forward Peyton Watson of Beverly Hills, California from the Denver Nuggets and traded small forward Max Strus of Hickory Hills, California to the Los Angeles Clippers.
There is a lot of expectation that LeBron James signed his final contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. Do not be surprised if this could be Harden’s final NBA contract too.
Any way you look at the Cavaliers’ decision, there is a genuine belief that Harden still has a lot to give to the Cavaliers. In 70 games with the Cavaliers and Clippers during the 2025-26 NBA regular season, Harden averaged 23.6 points per game, eight assists per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and 1.1 steals per game. He had a field goal percentage of .434, three point percentage of .375 and free throw percentage of .884.
This season Harden will be a catalyst of a Cavaliers team with high expectations. In 2025-26, Cleveland had the fourth best regular season record in the Eastern Conference at 52 wins and 30 losses, and reached the Eastern Conference Finals before being swept by the eventual NBA Finals champion, New York Knicks.
