James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers have had a busy offseason. Harden declined his player-option of $42.3 million for the upcoming season. The Cavaliers, in approximately 24 hours, traded for Peyton Watson and signed Harden to multi-year contract.
The hope was Harden and the Cavaliers would come to a long-term deal following his decision to decline his player option. The Cavaliers now boast a formidable starting lineup of Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Peyton Watson. The other hope is this new-look roster will be able to get over the hump and land back in the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers fell to the eventual NBA champions, the New York Knicks, being swept in four games in the Eastern Conference Finals this past season. And they haven’t appeared in an NBA Finals since they made it to four straight (2015-2018), winning it all behind the performances of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in 2016.
One Salary Cap Expert Calls Harden Contract ‘Irresponsible’
The soon to be 37-year-old guard (August 26) has compiled Hall of Fame type numbers throughout his 17-year NBA career. However, his level of play hasn’t been the same in the playoffs and biggest of moments. He’s also heading into an age-bracket where few players have been the best player on a championship team.
These factors are what caused Sam Quinn, an NBA salary cap expert for CBS Sports, to call Harden’s new contract “very, very irresponsible”.
“Paying him over $30 million dollars in his age 39 season, seems very, very irresponsible to me,” Quinn said during an appearance on CBS Sports HQ.
Quinn is an NBA writer and known salary cap expert for CBS Sports. He makes regular appearances on CBS Sports HQ. He elaborated on his thoughts of the Cavaliers’ decision to give Harden a three-year contract.
“Yeah, it’s that third year that really gets me. If you were to do a two-year deal in that $60 million range, something around what we expected they could afford financially after getting Peyton Watson, I might have been okay with it it… Obviously, his playoff track record speaks for itself. I’d be very scared of how that contract is going to age,” Quinn said.
Harden’s deal also includes a trade kicker. Quinn admitted he laughed out loud upon hearing this news, as he can’t envision another NBA team trading for Harden in his late 30s, assuming his play continues to decline.
“I kind of chuckled to myself when I saw the trade kicker because nobody is trading for that contract, three-years, $97 million for someone who turns 37 next week. IÂ just think that’s a little bit irresponsible,” Quinn said.
Can James Harden Lead Cavaliers to a Championship?
Harden has had a Hall of Fame caliber career. Seemingly the only thing missing is an NBA Championship. Harden ranks No. 9 All-Time in scoring in NBA history (29,339). He’s also made the playoffs in all 17 of the seasons he’s played in the NBA. That’s the longest streak by any active player in the NBA.
While he’s presumably getting ready to celebrate his new contract, and thirty-seventh birthday, his focus will assuredly shift to leading his Cavaliers back to the promised land before his retirement party gets scheduled. Time will tell if Quinn, or the Cavaliers, were right.
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