James Harden, who became an unrestricted free agent last summer, has come to an agreement with his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He signed a new three-year $97 million deal, with a player option in 2028-2029 and trade kicker.
The player’s representatives Mike Silverman, Troy Payne and Brandon Grier from Equity Sports announced to ESPN on Thursday.
Financial Milestones
The career earnings of Harden amount to $511 million now, which makes him the fourth player in the NBA to cross the mark of $500 million, following LeBron James of Philadelphia 76ers, Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
Harden will celebrate his 37th birthday on Aug. 26, and by the time he will officially sign, Harden will become the second player in the history of the league to sign a contract with more than $90 million guarantee at the age of 37 or above, LeBron James being the other one.
Although Harden opted out of his contract worth $42.3 million in June, when he entered the market, Harden and his representatives started negotiating deals for the Cavaliers in two and three years. Harden gave the Cavaliers as much time as they wanted to build their roster in the offseason.
However, it was important for the Cavaliers that Harden reduce his salary per year for a three-year deal rather than for a two-year deal in order to avoid the first and second aprons. This way, Cleveland would have enough time until the end of the offseason to trade for Peyton Watson, which the Cavaliers did on Wednesday in exchange of Max Strus to the Clippers, and their first-round pick in 2031 and second-round in 2032 from the Sacramento Kings to the Denver Nuggets in a five-team trade.
Cavs Acquire Peyton Watson
This renewal comes after the Cavaliers, Nuggets and Clippers have agreed on a trade that will send Peyton Watson to Cleveland and Max Strus to Los Angeles.
According to ESPN, Denver will receive an unprotected 2031 Cavs first-round pick and a 2032 Sacramento Kings second-rounder, according to sources.
