The Cavaliers’ search for upgrades has left James Harden in an interesting spot.
Cleveland spent the offseason chasing bigger moves, but the names it targeted - Peyton Watson, Jonathan Kuminga, and DeMar DeRozan - never ended up in the building. The team also failed to land LeBron James, who chose the Philadelphia 76ers after Harden had already declined his $42.3 million player option in June to help create more financial flexibility.
That decision was meant to give the front office room to work. Now, with those plans coming up empty, the next conversation could get a little more complicated.
On the “Wine and Gold Talk,” the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Chris Fedor said Harden may have reason to push for more if the Cavaliers keep striking out in free agency.
“If the Cavs don’t get Kuminga, if the Cavs don’t get DeMar DeRozan, if the Cavs don’t get Peyton Watson, then James is probably going to say, ‘Hey, I was willing to create some financial flexibility. I was willing to be patient.
I was willing to wait on LeBron, Kuminga, DeRozan, and Peyton Watson, and I was giving you guys the freedom to explore avenues to improve this roster. None of those materialized.
I want to be compensated for that,'” said Fedor on the “Wine and Gold Talk.”
Harden is 36 and heading into his 18th season, so nobody is pretending he’s the same player he was at his peak. Even so, he looked like a workable fit in Cleveland during his time there, and the team clearly values what he brings.
The playoff finish was another story. Harden struggled again when the games got tight, which only adds another layer to the conversation around his next deal.
Still, Fedor made it clear he doesn’t see this turning into a standoff. He said the Cavaliers don’t want to lose the former MVP and believes a new contract should be on the way soon.
“I don’t sense any kind of situation between the Cavs and James where talks are going to break down, or talks are going to get so bad that there’s going to be bad blood between James and the organization or James’ camp and the organization. Everybody understands the financial aspect of things related to James,” said Fedor.
In 26 games with Cleveland last season, Harden averaged 20.5 points, shot 43.5% from three-point range, and added 4.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
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