Former NBA MVP and 11-time All-Star guard James Harden has agreed to a new three-year, $97m contract to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, his agents told ESPN on Thursday. Per his agents at Equity Sports, the deal includes a player option for the 2028-29 US basketball season and a trade kicker. Harden’s new deal comes one day after the Cavaliers reportedly acquired fellow guard Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a trade that also included the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harden, who turns 37 next Wednesday, declined a $42.3m player option on his contract earlier this summer in a bid to secure a multi-year deal. Cleveland acquired Harden from the Clippers at the February trade deadline and sent fellow All-Star guard Darius Garland to Los Angeles. Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists in 26 regular-season games for the Cavaliers.
He has averages of 24.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 1,221 regular- season appearances (1,007 starts) with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-12), Houston Rockets (2012-2021), Brooklyn Nets (2021-22), Philadelphia 76ers (2022-23), Clippers (2023-26) and Cavaliers.
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