“Irresponsible”: Cavs Called Out for James Harden’s $97M Deal as Analyst Highlights Major Issue

Earlier this summer, it was unclear whether James Harden was still coming back to the Cleveland Cavaliers after he declined his $42.3 million player option. But now that the Cavs have confirmed a three-year, $97 million contract for the veteran Guard, it has been labeled "irresponsible" by an NBA analyst.

The delay in Harden's contract decision came because initially, the Cavs were holding off for a potential LeBron James deal. However, since James decided to join the Philadelphia 76ers, the Cavs secured Peyton Watson instead from the Denver Nuggets.

With full clarity on which direction the Cavs want to go and a better budget outlook after offering Watson a four-year, $88 million deal, they finalized Harden's new deal on Wednesday. While it's a great deal for the Beard, CBS NBA reporter Sam Quinn gives his honest thoughts on the situation.

"Yeah, it's that third-year deal that really gets me," Quinn said on CBS Sports. "If you were to do a two-year deal in that $60 million range ... I might've been okay with it. Paying him over $30 million in his age-39 season seems very irresponsible to me."

Ultimately, Harden got what he wanted, as he was reportedly expecting an annual salary of around $30 million. And while no can deny his track record, be it the regular season or the playoffs, doubts surrounding a performance decline with age are natural.

"Obviously, his playoff track record speaks for itself," Quinn continued. "I'd be very scared of how that contract is going to age. I kind of chuckled when I saw the trade kicker, because no one is trading for that contract, three years, $97 million for somebody who turns 37 next week. I just think that's a little bit irresponsible."

To Quinn's point, Harden could tie Jamal Crawford in third place for the most seasons without a championship ring. The Beard is entering his 18th NBA season. If by the end of his three-year deal he hasn't brought home the gold for the Cavs, it would be 20 seasons in a row that Harden hasn't won a title.

James Harden on Never Winning a Championship Despite 'Sacrifices'

Once upon a time, James Harden was on top of the NBA mountain. During his tenure with the Houston Rockets, an NBA title seemed inevitable. In 2018, he won the MVP award, adding to his storied stint with the Rockets that includes eight All-Star appearances, six All-NBA First Team selections, and three scoring titles.

Unfortunately, everything went downhill since he moved to the Brooklyn Nets in 2021. Apparently, Harden's decision to leave Houston was part of his plan to chase rings. In a 2024 episode of the "Earn Your Leisure" podcast, the Beard shared how he had to sacrifice his status as a top star in an attempt to win a championship.

"Let me just try to sacrifice the money, the individual accolades, all that," Harden shared. "Let me just try to sacrifice and switch it up a little bit, and hopefully that’ll work in my favor in the sense of trying to win a championship. So that’s when the Brooklyn situation happened; that was tricky."

With the Nets, Harden's stats improved compared to his last season at the Rockets. But internal tension led him to seek another destination for his title pursuit.

"We had the opportunity. And then the Philly situation, where it’s like the same thing: let me just be a playmaker, switch up my role. None of that s*** worked," Harden added.

Fast forward to the present day, Harden appears to be in the same boat as he once was with the Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers. With his new three-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, this could be his last chance to finally win the big one. The clock is ticking for the Bearded superstar.