Nobody can pretend to be happy with how the Cleveland Cavaliers were dismantled by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the season was unarguably a success regardless.
Cleveland set out to make progress after two consecutive second-round exits following a first-round exit. In the Core Four era, the Cavaliers had never won more than five games in a single postseason until this year brought a conference finals appearance. The team finally took a step forward, in no small part thanks to the trade-deadline move to add 11-time All-Star James Harden. While Harden's turnovers and poor shooting were negatives to the Cavs, his availability and leadership were necessary to the run.
Entering the offseason, more big questions surrounded the Cavaliers. Plenty of teams circled like vultures, waiting to pick apart the pieces of a dying Cleveland franchise. Immediately, rumors of Donovan Mitchell's exit were bubbling despite his first conference finals run. Onlookers expected an implosion, but the Cavs have already silenced those doubts and are entering the summer with a path to legitimate growth after the latest Harden news.
In the postgame media availability after Game Four, Harden expressed interest in returning to Cleveland and promised he would be back. This offseason, Harden controls his destiny. He holds a $42.3 million player option, but it is actually declining his option that is the win for Cleveland.
Harden expected to stay in Cleveland on a team-friendly deal
The Cavaliers are the league's most expensive team, spending the entire season as the only franchise above the newly-installed luxury tax second apron. It restricts free agency options and trade deals. Cleveland could not aggregate salaries or take back extra money in return in any trades this year. Harden's arrival was only possible because he made roughly $300 thousand less than Darius Garland.
Entering the offseason, the Cavs are roughly $200 thousand above the second apron, but that does not include free agents Dean Wade or Keon Ellis. Finding a way to cut salary without losing talent will be a key goal for the Cavaliers' front office this summer, and Harden has the answer.
Cavs insider and ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst offered insight on Harden's future, reporting that the former MVP plans to decline his player option and sign a long-term deal in Cleveland for more money overall but with lower average annual value. As Windhorst explained, the deal will open pathways for the Cavs to make larger deals in the summer to take a step towards the NBA Finals.
"James Harden is going to be a Cav next year. ... That new deal will probably be structured in a way that will allow the Cavs to dip below the second apron."@Windhorstespn gives some insight on the Cavs as they prepare for the offseason 🏀 pic.twitter.com/hFLc1fmppv
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 26, 2026
If Harden signs a deal like ESPN's Bobby Marks suggested, a two-year deal with $56 million, the Cavs could spend the offseason with plenty of financial agility to maneuver the new CBA rules. This route to monetary freedom not only brings the Cavaliers immediate relief, but it also is another layer to the blockbuster deadline trade.
With Garland, despite his immense talent, the Cavaliers were locked into a rising salary number. The only way out of Garland's $42.1 million next season would have been a trade. The Harden deal gave the Cavs a veteran star and a path to dodging the second apron without major overhauls or a tear down. If the Cavaliers can use Harden's new contract as an opening to bolster the depth chart with more frontcourt size or wing shooting, Cleveland instantly looks like an undeniable winner of the controversial trade.
In the new NBA landscape, financial freedom is just as important as talent when a team is contending for the title. They already won the trade by finally reaching the conference finals with a healthy roster, but building a new cap sheet that keeps talent and builds freedom makes it plainly simple. Cleveland made the right choice, albeit immensely painful, to move on from Garland this season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers learned the hard way that the second apron is not only restrictive, but it is also a death sentence to any possible progress. With hopes of winning it all in the Mitchell era, the Cavaliers are making the right decisions to add talent, reward that talent while also finding creative routes to salary cap relief.
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