The Cleveland Cavaliers have their veteran guard locked in through at least 2028. The team officially announced James Harden’s new three-year, $97 million contract on Tuesday, weeks after the deal was first reported in late August.
“The Beard is back in The Land,” the Cavaliers said in their announcement. “We have officially resigned James Harden to a multi-year contract.”
The contract carries a player option for the 2028-29 season and a 15% trade kicker, according to CBS Sports. Its $32.3 million average annual value is well below the $42.3 million player option Harden turned down earlier in the offseason, a trade-off he accepted in exchange for two additional guaranteed years.
A win-now core kept together
Cleveland acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers at the February 5 trade deadline, sending Darius Garland and a second-round pick to Los Angeles. He appeared in 26 regular-season games with the Cavaliers after the trade, averaging 20.5 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds on 46.6/37.5/88.4 shooting splits. Cleveland went 19-7 in those games.
The postseason run ended with a four-game sweep in the Eastern Conference finals against the eventual champion New York Knicks, The Associated Press reported. Harden averaged 19.2 points and 5.5 assists in 18 playoff games, with turnovers up to 4.7 per game and five or more in 10 of Cleveland’s 18 postseason contests.
Retaining him keeps head coach Kenny Atkinson’s rotation intact around a group that has now reached the second round and the conference finals in Atkinson’s first two years on the job. Cleveland also brought in wing Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade this summer, sending Max Strus and a 2031 first-round pick the other way, per Heavy.com’s reporting on the contract announcement.
Harden climbs the money list
The 37-year-old is entering his 18th NBA season. HoopsHype’s Jorge Sierra calculated that the new deal moves Harden to No. 7 all-time in guaranteed career earnings across the NBA.
The signing also takes his career total past $500 million, making him the fourth player in NBA history to reach that mark, alongside LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
Read also: Huge debt crisis in China causes Tour of Guangxi cancellation
What Cleveland is paying for
The bet is on Harden the setup man as much as Harden the scorer. His 46.6% field-goal shooting, 37.5% from three and 88.4% from the free-throw line after the trade paired with 7.7 assists a night to give Atkinson the on-ball initiator his system leans on. Cleveland’s window with Donovan Mitchell now runs on a shared timeline, with the 2028-29 player option giving Harden the choice to re-enter free agency as early as the summer of 2028.
Read also: 'If it's difficult, you call José': Mourinho's Real Madrid return begins with a night of chaos
