The Cavaliers made one move that could help them, then followed it with one that makes far less sense.
Cleveland landed Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade on Wednesday, a deal that at least addressed the wing help the team had been chasing. Watson’s four-year, $88 million contract may or may not age well, but it was the kind of swing worth taking. Then the Cavs went in the other direction and handed James Harden a fully guaranteed three-year, $97 million deal with a trade kicker and player option.
That’s the same Harden who turns 37 in a few days. The same Harden who averaged more turnovers, 4.3, than assists, 3.0, in the conference finals against New York. The same Harden who went 2-of-8 for 12 points in Game 4’s loss to the Knicks.
The assumption had been that Harden would be back. The surprise was the price tag - and the structure of the deal.
Cleveland didn’t even get to let the Watson move breathe before piling on a contract that figures to age badly. The team may have gotten better with Watson, but the Harden signing undercut that gain almost immediately.
It also fit a familiar pattern for the Cavaliers, who continue to act like they’re one big swing away from their old championship chase. Instead of tearing things down after missing out on LeBron James, they’ve doubled down on the current core and paid Harden as if he’s still the player he used to be.
He isn’t. He’s no longer at MVP level, and he’s not even performing like an All-Star. But Cleveland is still banking on him like he is, hoping he can somehow help push them back toward the title they’ve been chasing since 2016.
For the Knicks, the message is simpler: Cleveland still doesn’t look like a real threat. New York swept the Cavaliers on the way to the NBA Finals and went on to win the Larry O’Brien trophy, so there was never much reason to treat the Cavs as a looming problem.
Watson gives Cleveland a little more, sure. But unless he’s the missing piece - and he isn’t, even with his potential - it’s still tough to picture the Cavaliers getting out of the East.
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Knicks Repeat Hopes Now Hinge On One Huge 76ers Question
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The Knicks are also staring at a conference that has shifted around them, with several East teams making roster changes that could change the pecking order by opening night. Philadelphia gets its first preseason test against New York, and the two teams meet again at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, which should tell a lot about how real the early-season matchup looks. For the Knicks, repeat hopes may come down not just to their own continuity, but to whether one of their biggest challengers can sort out its chemistry in time. [Read more 🡒]