The Cleveland Cavaliers spent most of August looking like a team that had settled into standing still. They missed out on LeBron James, and for a while it seemed like there wasn’t much of a fallback plan.
That changed fast this week.
Cleveland got busy, sending Dennis Schroder to the Hornets for added cap flexibility before pulling off a major sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets. In that deal, the Cavs landed breakout forward Peyton Watson, while fan favorite Max Strus was shipped to the Clippers.
Those moves gave Cleveland a real boost as it tries to keep up in what’s expected to be a loaded Eastern Conference. And according to the source of all this movement, none of it happens without James Harden.
When the Cavs brought Harden in at last season’s trade deadline, the assumption was that he’d be back on a new deal once the summer arrived. The only question was how much of a discount he’d be willing to accept, especially with Cleveland in the second apron a few months ago.
Harden’s summer didn’t move quickly. After an uneven playoff run, he turned down his $42 million player option in June and was expected to settle on a cheaper contract soon after.
But Cleveland’s pursuit of LeBron slowed everything down. Once James signed with Philly, the expectation shifted to Harden signing immediately.
That still didn’t happen. Harden waited a couple more days, and during that stretch he was helping recruit Watson to Cleveland. On the same day reports surfaced about his deal, he also posted a video on Instagram showing workouts with Evan Mobley, Meleek Thomas, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Tyrese Proctor.
For all the talk about Harden as a diva who only looks out for himself, the reality in Cleveland has been different. He’s been patient, professional, and willing to take less so the Cavs could keep building.
And the timing mattered. Cleveland doesn’t land Watson without Harden waiting, and it doesn’t improve the roster this summer without his willingness to make it work. Whatever anyone thinks about his playoff struggles, the Cavs didn’t reach the conference finals last year without him, and they didn’t make this summer’s upgrade without him either.
In Other News...
Cavs Are Closing In On A Move That Changes Daily Life
The Cavaliers are getting ready for a change that goes well beyond a new address. During the NBA All-Star break in February, the team plans to move into the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center downtown, a facility that should give players and staff a far different day-to-day experience than the one theyve had in Independence.
The new building is expected to be significantly larger than the current practice site and come with multiple amenities designed around the needs of a modern NBA operation. Once the Cavs relocate, the Independence facility will take on a new role of its own, serving as the training home for the Cleveland Sirens, the WNBA expansion team set to begin play in 2028. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Suddenly Have A Real Path To The Easts Top Seed
The Cavaliers finished their offseason by adding two more pieces in James Harden and Peyton Watson, with Watson agreeing to a four-year deal, and it gives the roster a noticeably different look heading into the new season. Cleveland has been leaning into depth and athleticism around the core, with names like Mario Hezonja also part of the mix, and the front office seems to have built a group that can withstand the grind of the East better than it could a year ago.
What makes the conversation more interesting is how much of this comes down to fit as much as talent. The Cavaliers are not just collecting names, they are trying to stitch together a group that can settle in quickly, build chemistry and avoid the kind of uneven stretches that can cost a team in the standings. If the pieces come together the way Cleveland believes they can, the path to finishing atop the Eastern Conference suddenly looks more real than it did when the summer began. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Just Made Their Title Window A Lot More Complicated
The Cavaliers latest offseason swing was about more than just reshuffling the roster. By sending an unprotected 2031 first-round pick to Denver and Max Strus to the Clippers, Cleveland signaled that it is leaning hard into the present, building around a core led by Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and James Harden while the window feels open enough to justify the cost.
The trade also comes with a real complication for what happens next. Cleveland has now burned through the flexibility that usually helps teams manage the margins, which means future upgrades are far more likely to have to come from current players rather than draft capital. For a contender trying to stay ahead of the league, that makes every next move a little harder to navigate. [Read more 🡒]