The Cleveland Cavaliers are still making James Harden wait to sign his offseason contract in free agency, but some tension may be growing. Harden has been patient to let the Cavaliers go fully into the LeBron James free agency race. However, James signing elsewhere has led to Cleveland still putting Harden on the backburner while looking at free agents Jonathan Kuminga and Peyton Watson.
NBA insider Jake Fischer shared that he doesn’t expect Harden to give them much more time:
“Harden has been a true team player in waiting to re-sign with the Cavaliers as Cleveland was first dabbling in LeBron and his free agency. And now that they’ve looked at various (moves) to get either Watson and Kuminga. I do wonder how long Harden is going to be willing to wait.
Draymond Green re-upped with the Golden State Warriors the very next week after LeBron signed with Philadelphia. There was some thought that Harden would be re-signing with Cleveland around the same timeline. He will be paid handsomely by the Cavs, but I do wonder how long he waits.”
Fischer cited that growing frustration from Harden’s camp could see him demanding a faster contract offer. LeBron joining the Philadelphia 76ers saw Cleveland missing out on their only chance to add another All-Star. Harden is now waiting on secondary names to make their moves before the Cavaliers offer him a deal.
Why Cleveland Is Making James Harden Wait
Today’s landscape sees more roster decisions made with the salary cap and apron rules in mind. Cleveland is hoping to land either Kuminga or Watson to beef up their depth. The Atlanta Hawks and Denver Nuggets remain unlikely to keep those two players.
Cavaliers’ management wants to sign one of the forwards and to utilize that deal to dictate the Harden contract. In a dream NBA world, Cleveland will be able to offer Harden a deal with more money on the back end to make the more sudden salary cap structure work.
Fischer makes a good point that Harden is and should be getting frustrated with this long of a wait. Waiting on LeBron is one thing since other teams like the Miami Heat and Warriors did the exact same. Unfortunately, Watson and Kuminga are not proven enough to warrant upsetting Harden.
When Will Cleveland Sign James Harden
It is important to note that Fischer did not discuss any scenario outside of Harden staying in Cleveland. Even if the frustration grows, Harden picked this destination after requesting a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers last season.
The roster with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen gives Harden three strong players with All-Star level experience. A worst-case scenario for the Cavaliers would be Harden requesting a deal now and not caring about Kuminga or Watson.
Cleveland would likely still offer Harden a strong deal and punt on the other two names since he’s a bigger part of the team. Last season also saw the new look Cavaliers roster making the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time after the LeBron era. The season gets mocked for the New York Knicks sweeping them, but the roster showed enough for Harden to stay long-term.
James Harden Getting Frustrated Waiting For New Cavs Deal