As expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers are bringing back James Harden on a multi-year deal. Shortly after getting their hands on Peyton Watson, they rewarded his patience by giving him a three-year, $97 million contract.
Suffice to say that Harden got much more money in Cleveland than he would've gotten had he signed elsewhere, so it's not like he waited just because of the kindness of his heart. Now, he has some financial security through the backend of his Hall of Fame career.
With this move, the Cavs are officially doubling down on the Darius Garland trade. More than that, they may now have a two-year window to get the job done with this core before it's time to call it quits once and for all.
It's now or never for the Cleveland Cavaliers
As things stand now, Donovan Mitchell, Harden, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are all under contract for the next three years. That gives them about two seasons to either figure things out or pull the plug on this experiment while they still can.
Doubling down on James Harden to win an NBA championship has never worked, and it's hard to be optimistic at this point. He is who he is, and the Cavs still need someone to make up for his nonexistent defense and his postseason meltdowns.
Perhaps Watson can be that guy. Maybe he can be the same player he was in January and put up big numbers to take the team on his shoulders if (when) Harden can't buy a bucket or is getting picked on defense in every trip down the court.
This Cavs core has fallen short for the same miscues year in and year out. Jarrett Allen becomes unplayable in high-stakes situations, especially against more physical competition, and the whole Evan Mobley experience is a roller coaster.
As for Mitchell, he usually gets a pass because he's a positive leader who clearly cares a lot and whatnot, but he also has his fair share of duds in big games. If anything, it looks like this team should've been closer to a full reset than to taking this approach.
That said, who knows? We've seen different champions every year since the last Golden State Warriors repeat, so why not us? History definitely isn't on this team's side, and every season will only add more pressure to this core, but there's always hope.
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