Report: Harden returning to Cavaliers on three-year, $97-million contract

Posted by Admin August 20, 2026 NBA

Report: Harden returning to Cavaliers on three-year, -million contract

Following a slew of moves, the Cavaliers took care of the biggest piece of business, bringing back star guard James Harden on a new three-year, $97-million contract, per ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday.

The deal includes a player option and trade kicker, according to Charania, and pushes Harden’s career earnings over $500 million — just the fourth player in NBA history to eclipse that mark, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.

Harden, turning 37 next week, also joins James as the only two players to sign for more than $90 million in guaranteed salary at age 37 or older.

The 11-time all-star joined the Cavaliers in February, leaving his hometown Los Angeles Clippers in a deadline swap for Darius Garland. Cleveland finished the regular season 19-7 in Harden’s 26 games with the team, entering the playoffs as a fourth seed en route to the franchise’s first conference finals appearance since 2018. Harden averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists, while shooting 43.5 per cent from deep in his brief regular-season stint in Cleveland.

Over the course of 70 regular-season games split between the Cavaliers and Clippers, Harden averaged 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists on 43.4/37.5/88.4 per cent shooting splits.

That production ticked down through 18 playoff games with the Cavs, however, as Harden put up 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals on 37.3/29.9/83.1 per cent splits.

Since being dealt to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021, Harden has played for four teams — spending time with the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers and Cavaliers.

But now it appears the former league MVP has found a long-term landing spot, continuing his backcourt pairing with fellow star guard Donovan Mitchell, who signed a four-year, $273-million max extension with the Cavaliers earlier in the off-season.

Earlier in the week, Cleveland traded away backup guard Dennis Schroeder to the Charlotte Hornets, freeing up room for a sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets for Peyton Watson on a four-year, $88-million deal.