The Cleveland Cavaliers took a huge risk when they traded for James Harden. It's not only that they had to give up a homegrown All-Star who was a decade younger, but their new star also came with a complicated history and plenty of baggage.
However, Harden looks different this time. He's no longer running away from his reputation. If anything, he's finally embracing it, even going as far as to say that loyalty was overrated and this was just a business.
Those comments may have rubbed people the wrong way. But like former Cavs player Daniel Gibson said on "Full Court Cleveland," that actually showed a much more mature way to think and handle himself.
James Harden has never looked more mature than now
"It's tough to come into a new locker room on a team full of guys already winning and know when to say things and how to say them," Gibson said.
Harden has always been the type of guy who will follow the money. He's going to be engaged for as long as the team stays committed to paying him, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, especially at this point in his career.
He may have wasted years of his prime by not being fully locked in and focusing on what he could do. His work ethic and practice habits were always questionable at best, but he's now taken better care of his body, and his durability shows.
Harden is someone who knows he's getting paid to do a job, and that's what he's going to do. He's in Cleveland to win, and with not many distractions off the court, plus a new mindset and approach to his career, that's what he's going to do.
The Cavs don't need him to be a leader; they have Donovan Mitchell for that. He's looked much better and poised when he doesn't have to do all the heavy lifting. That allows him to play free and be the best version he can be at 36 years old.
For the first time in his career, Harden looks at peace and with no pressure. We used to watch him crumble when the lights got the brightest, most likely because he knew his legacy was at stake.
That ship has already sailed. Now that his legacy is all but etched in stone and winning a championship will be a plus, and not something that will define his career, he might finally be able to give his team what they've always needed from him in the playoffs.