One of many worst-kept secrets and techniques of the continuing NBA offseason was that the Cleveland Cavaliers and veteran guard James Harden mainly had a handshake settlement concerning Harden’s eventual return to the Cavaliers.
It now seems that the Cavaliers and Harden have made issues official.
How a lot did the Cavaliers give James Harden to return?
On Thursday afternoon, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Harden and the Cavs agreed to a brand new three-year, $97M contract with a participant choice for 2028-29 and a commerce kicker. The information is hardly shocking, as Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Vendor shared again in Might that Harden would decide out of his earlier contract after which “obtain a brand new multi-year deal from the Cavs as a part of a wink-wink, nudge-nudge pre-existing settlement” this summer season.
The Cavaliers acquired Harden this previous February as a championship-or-bust transfer. Cleveland later blew a 22-point lead en path to shedding Recreation 1 of the Jap Convention Finals to the New York Knicks, and the Knicks in the end swept the Cavaliers. New York then went on to win the NBA Finals.
Earlier within the offseason, the Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell agreed to a four-year, $273M maximum contract extension that included a participant choice for the 2030-31 marketing campaign and a full commerce kicker. Extra just lately, it was learned on Wednesday that Cleveland had acquired Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a multi-team commerce that additionally concerned the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Wizards.
Cavaliers vs. 76ers might change into an epic showdown
As Charania famous, the Cavaliers are actually on observe to characteristic a beginning lineup of Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Evan Mobley and fellow large man Jarrett Allen after LeBron James selected to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free company.
To match, the 76ers plan to begin James, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and V.J. Edgecombe. After the Harden information went public, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Knicks because the betting favorites at +340 odds to characterize the Jap Convention within the 2027 NBA Finals. The Sixers had been second on the record at +380 odds, whereas the Cavaliers had been fifth at +900 odds.
