Deep into August, it looked like the Cleveland Cavaliers were content with running it back for next season. After striking out on LeBron James, it felt like they did not have a backup plan.
However, this past week, the team has been extremely active. They traded away Dennis Schroder to the Hornets for more cap flexibility and then completed a huge sign-and-trade with the Denver Nuggets, in which the Cavs acquired breakout forward Peyton Watson. The deal also saw fan favorite Max Strus get traded to the Clippers.
So after laying dormant all summer, Cleveland finally added to their roster to keep pace in what is expected to be a stacked Eastern Conference. These moves were only possible because of one player.
The Cavs and their fans should be thanking James Harden for his patience
When Cleveland acquired Harden at last season’s trade deadline, the expectation was always that he would re-sign with the team in the summer. The question was whether or not he would be willing to take a discount, especially with the Cavs in the second apron just a few months ago.
After an up and down playoff run, Harden declined his $42 million player option in June, and was expected to sign a cheaper deal shortly after. However, Cleveland was in the thick of the LeBron sweepstakes, which delayed his signing. After James signed with Philly, the thought then became that Harden would sign right after.
Instead, Harden did not sign until a couple days ago, and throughout that time, he was recruiting Watson to the Cavs. Additionally, the same day the reports came out about his deal, he dropped a video on Instagram working out with Evan Mobley, Meleek Thomas, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Tyrese Proctor.
The bottom line is that despite his reputation of being a diva that bounces from team to team and just looks out for himself, Harden has been the consummate professional in Cleveland. The reality is that they don’t sign Watson without him being willing to be patient and take a cut on his deal.
You can say what you want about his playoff struggles and some of that may be valid. The reality is though that the Cavs do not make the conference finals last year without Harden’s performance, nor do they improve the roster this summer without his selflessness. Credit must be given where it is due and he has more than earned it.
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