Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden had a terrible end to the 2025-26 season, and his offseason hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts now. The California Post reports Harden was arrested in Houston on Saturday morning on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of weapons.
“Harden, a former Los Angeles Clippers guard who now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was accused of ‘unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly’ having a handgun in his vehicle, according to a copy of the complaint.
“Authorities alleged in the document that ‘the handgun was in plain view’ and ‘was not carried in a holster.’”
Harden was taken into custody by the Houston Police Department at 3:41 a.m. The Post reports the 36-year-old was at a Houston hookah lounge with a large group of friends before the arrest.
Harden was released on bond later on Saturday morning and is due back in court on June 22 for arraignment. This isn’t exactly scandalous, but it’s not ideal either.
Not much has gone right for Harden in recent times. The Cavaliers had acquired the 11-time All-Star from the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2026 in the hopes that he’d elevate the team. He did help them reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, but he laid an egg on that stage.
Harden averaged 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 38.9% from the field and 17.9% from beyond the arc as the New York Knicks swept the Cavaliers. It was yet another postseason flameout.
Despite that, the Cavaliers and Harden are expected to agree on a two-year, $60 million deal, after he opts out of his $42.3 million player option for 2026-27. Would that be the right move?
Well, Harden has shown over the years that you cannot rely on him in the playoffs. He has won one MVP, three scoring titles, and two assists titles over the course of his 17-year career with the Cavaliers, Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, and Philadelphia 76ers, but hasn’t been able to keep up that level of production in the playoffs.
The Cavaliers did just give up Darius Garland for Harden, though, so letting him leave for nothing in a few months wouldn’t be ideal. Expect them to run it back with him.
