The Beard stays home! Harden inks massive new deal with the Cavaliers
Cleveland's title dream just got its most important signature of the summer.
Details: According to ESPN insider Shams Charania, James Harden has agreed to a new three-year, $97 million contract to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The deal includes a player option and a trade kicker. The agreement was confirmed by the star's agents Mike Silverman, Troy Payne and Brandon Grier of Equity Sports.
The 36-year-old guard declined his $42.3 million player option for the 2026/27 season earlier this summer, but both sides stayed in constant contact over a fresh multiyear agreement, and the wait is now over. Harden only arrived in Cleveland in February, when the Cavs traded Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the Clippers, and instantly transformed the franchise.
With Harden pulling the strings, the Cavaliers overcame a 0:2 series deficit against top-seeded Detroit and reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018. Last season the veteran averaged 20.5 points, 7.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting an impressive 43.5% from beyond the arc. It's worth noting that the 2018 MVP and 11-time All-Star turns 37 in six days, so this could well be the last big contract of his legendary career.
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Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
