James Harden was also going to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason, with the only question being what kind of contract he’d receive. That question was answered on Thursday, as the Cavaliers agreed to a three-year, $97 million deal with Harden. That’s quite a financial commitment to a 36-year-old, and NBA analyst Sam Quinn made it clear this wasn’t a good decision on CBS Sports HQ.
“It’s that third year that really gets me,” Quinn said. “If you were to do a two-year deal in that $60 million range, something around what we expected given what they could afford financially after getting Peyton Watson, I might have been okay with it. Paying him over $30 million in his age-39 season seems very, very irresponsible to me.
“Obviously, his playoff track record speaks for itself,” Quinn continued. “I’d be very scared of how that contract is going to age. I kinda chuckled to myself when I saw the trade kicker, because nobody’s trading for that contract. Three years, $97 million for somebody who turns 37 next week.”
Not only is there a trade kicker, but Harden, whose career earnings will reach $511 million on the completion of this contract, also has a player option for 2028-29. This is a great deal for the 11-time All-Star.
Now, Harden had opted out of his $42.3 million player option for 2026-27 to become a free agent. It was reported at the time that he was expected to get a two-year deal worth about $60 million.
ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed that the Cavaliers and Harden’s agents had worked on two- and three-year contract structures. Crucially, the 2018 NBA MVP was willing to wait to sign a deal so that the front office could add pieces to the roster.
Harden’s patience is what enabled the Cavaliers to land Peyton Watson via a sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets. They gave Watson a four-year, $88 million deal, and that simply wouldn’t have been possible if the veteran guard had demanded he be re-signed when free agency began nearly two months ago on June 30.
Quinn reckons the Cavaliers are rewarding Harden for his cooperation with this new contract.
“I think the reality is this is probably something they had a framework for in advance when they made that trade,” Quinn said. “Now, James Harden waited until late August to do this. He did cooperate with the front office. Let them maintain the flexibility they needed to go out and sign Peyton Watson in that sign-and-trade that they made yesterday.
“I think this is, to some extent, an organization rewarding James Harden for being flexible for them,” Quinn added. “… The Cavs had a certain amount of room under the first apron after adding Peyton Watson in that sign-and-trade. He is essentially taking what’s left, and he’s getting rewarded for that with a third season that I just frankly can’t believe that they gave him given his age and given his playoff track record.”
The Cavaliers are hoping Harden stays productive for another three seasons. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game for them after arriving via trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2026.
The Cavaliers interestingly sent Darius Garland and a second-round pick to the Clippers for Harden. The move raised eyebrows, but they went 19-7 with him in the lineup in the regular season. The Cavaliers also made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, but were swept by the New York Knicks there.
Harden struggled against the Knicks, putting up 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. He also shot just 38.9% from the field and 17.9% from beyond the arc.
It was just yet another playoff series where Harden underperformed, and this is just who he is. You cannot rely on him in the postseason, which is part of why Quinn doesn’t like the Cavaliers handing him a three-year deal. Time will tell if this was indeed a mistake.
