Cavaliers’ James Harden has not signed historic $97M deal that will join Kevin Durant, LeBron James

Cavaliers’ James Harden has not signed historic $97M deal that will join Kevin Durant, LeBron James originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had an eventful last couple of weeks, as free agency began ramping up for the organization in a major way. Cleveland took the “better late than never” saying to heart, as the team has closed out the summer on a strong note.

The Cavaliers were finally able to land Peyton Watson in a trade, which played a role in James Harden opting out of his contract. As part of the deal for Watson, Cleveland eventually waived Cam Whitmore to create the necessary flexibility to sign Harden.

“They get Cam Whitmore as part of the trade. They are going to waive and stretch Whitmore over three years. It’s basically a $1.8 million cap hold that will then give them the flexibility to go out and sign James Harden to a new deal,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks said.

The deal agreed upon by the two sides would also allow Harden to join LeBron James and Kevin Durant in NBA history.

“Free agent James Harden agreed to a new three-year, $97 million contract to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a player option for 2028-29 and a trade kicker, agents Mike Silverman, Troy Payne and Brandon Grier of Equity Sports told ESPN on Thursday. Currently, just two players in NBA history have eclipsed the $500 million mark in career earnings: Philadelphia’s LeBron James and Houston’s Kevin Durant. Harden sits at $414 million and would join the exclusive club after completing this new deal,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.

However, a surprising development was reported Wednesday after Cleveland signed Khalifa Diop. Harden has still not officially signed what will become a historic contract.

“James Harden has not signed yet. Diop’s salary will be small enough to keep the Cavs clear of the first apron and fit Harden’s contract in,” Locked on Cavs’ Danny Cunningham wrote.

This is an interesting development, as it is clear that both sides have already worked toward an agreement and Cleveland has structured its roster to accommodate the deal. Harden could simply still be enjoying the final part of his offseason before making the agreement official.

For now, there should be little reason to worry that the contract will not get completed. The Cavaliers have made a significant commitment to Harden, and all indications are that the agreement will eventually become official.

More NBA news: