NBA Insider Shares Update on James Harden's Cavaliers Future: Report
The Cleveland Cavaliers are officially out of the NBA Playoffs, after suffering a disappointing sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals, courtesy of the New York Knicks.
Game 4 in Cleveland featured Donovan Mitchell leading the Cavaliers as best he could, scoring a team-high 31 points. James Harden didn’t score nearly as much in the loss, contributing only 12 points, dishing out two assists, and grabbing four rebounds.
The brutal loss immediately raised questions about the future of the Cavaliers’ roster, with their midseason trade acquisition, Harden, among those in the spotlight.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s NBA insider, Brian Windhorst, provided the latest on Harden’s situation with the team, which had the NBA’s highest payroll, putting it over the second apron and subject to salary cap penalties.
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“I believe their plan is going to be James Harden is going to opt out of his contract and sign a new contract. This is not theoretical. James Harden will be back with the Cavs next year, and it will be for multiple years guaranteed,” Windorst told ESPN Cleveland.
He also explained this would take the Cavs out of the second apron, which will allow them to “do more business again.”
The second apron refers to a punitive salary cap threshold in the NBA, which typically prevents high-spending teams from keeping all the talent to themselves.
Windhorst indicated that, after the Cavs sign Harden to a new contract, they could then re-sign Dean Wade and Keon Ellis to the roster and have a full training camp with Harden.
According to ESPN, Harden had a $42.3 million player option for the 2026-27 season after joining the Cavaliers.
He averaged 23.6 points, 8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds this past season, which he split between his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and his new team, the Cavaliers. Harden’s scoring average dipped to 19.2 points per game in the postseason, to go with 5.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Per StatMuse, Harden also ranked sixth in the league in turnovers per game this past season, at 3.5. That number rose to 4.7 during the postseason, likely frustrating fans as they watched the Cavs win two seven-game series before getting swept by the Knicks.
“Definitely want to be here,” Harden said after his team’s Game 4 loss. “I think we found something. It’s tough. It’s not ending how we wanted to, but I think we found something.”
The move to sign Harden to a new contract is significant, as the Cavs look to improve their roster further and contend in the East against the likes of the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, and Detroit Pistons. Harden, despite costly turnovers, remains a solid all-around player and former MVP who brings necessary veteran experience from 17 years in the league.
With the team likely to re-sign Harden, other considerations this offseason include All-Star Donovan Mitchell’s contract situation and the pursuit of another major star, amid ongoing speculation about LeBron James’s return to Cleveland.
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 2:41 PM.