The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to do everything they can to win a title this season.
After that, things are going to start to take a downward turn. James Harden is now 37 years old, but he just signed a lucrative new $97 million contract that will pay him $34 million when he is 39 years old. That is going to be a problem as Cleveland tries to field a competitive team.
Now that the contract has been signed, there is only one way out of the train wreck awaiting them at the end of Harden's contract: find the oen team willing to trade for him before then.
Dennis Schroder is on his "one team"
The general consensus around Dennis Schroder's contract was that it was underwater, an overpay in both this season and especially in the next. He signed a three-year deal with the Sacramento Kings and it immediately went sour. Landing with the Cavaliers was a way to get off of De'Andre Hunter's even more lucrative long-term contract.
It also saddled the Cavaliers with Schroder and his contract. If they wanted to trade him to free up financial flexibility to pursue a player such as Peyton Watson, they would probably need to pay a team in draft assets to take him on.
Probably, unless they could find a team that valued Schroder as positive or at least neutral value on his current deal. Cavaliers President Koby Altman did exactly that, working out a deal with the Charlotte Hornets that sent Schroder to North Carolina for the low cost of some cash - no draft picks required.
Schroder had relationships with the front office stemming from both his time in Brooklyn and in Atlanta to start his career. The Hornets also had invested in multiple young players from Germany, and Schroder is a German basketball legend. With a need at backup point guard and for a veteran mentor on the team, they viewed Schroder as a positive addition.
Cleveland must find Harden's "one team"
At some point in the near future, the Cavaliers must find the same for James Harden. The former MVP's career has been a series of such transactions, with teams moving him on to a team that was interested in trading value for him. The Cavaliers were that team for a Clippers franchise offloading veterans at will this past year.
Now, at the end of his career, it's time to see if there is one such team left for Harden. There is disaster potential left with his contract, but perhaps with multiple seasons left on it, a team won't fear the discomfort of contract negotiations with Harden and his camp and would like a steady hand at point guard to come in and steer the ship.
The league is rife with young guards, so there is not overwhelming need around. Perhaps it will be one of the league's perennially foolish teams; if Jeremiah Fears flames out in New Orleans, or Darius Acuff in Sacramento, perhaps one of them could make a short-term trade for Harden.
It may also be a veteran team trying to find a new look at guard. Could the Orlando Magic want to both mix things up and push some chips in? Would the Dallas Mavericks swap Kyrie for Harden if the need arose? Could the Toronto Raptors want to move on from Immanuel Quickley, or the Portland Trail Blazers from Ja Morant? Could the Phoenix Suns be coaxed into a deal?
The Cavaliers would probably be smart to make a deal as early as possible this season, but even if it is a year or 18 months into the future, Koby Altman should be canvassing the league. If he can find a taker, he should pull the trigger immediately.
There may only be one chance to trade Harden for value. If the Cavaliers can find it, they must take it.
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