James Harden's new contract with Cavaliers fully guaranteed

Michael Scotto: Sources: James Harden and the Cavaliers have agreed to a 3-year, $97 million fully guaranteed deal, including a third-year player option and 15% trade kicker. Harden’s agents, Mike Silverman, Troy Payne, and Brandon Grier worked with Cavs officials to finalize the deal. ESPN 1st

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Shams Charania: BREAKING: James Harden has agreed to a new three-year, $97 million contract to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a player option and a trade kicker, agents Mike Silverman, Troy Payne and Brandon Grier of Equity Sports told ESPN. — 8/20/2026 x.com

Shams Charania: Harden's career earnings will now reach $511 million, making him the fourth player in NBA history to eclipse the $500 million mark, joining the 76ers' LeBron James, the Rockets' Kevin Durant and the Warriors' Stephen Curry. Harden turns 37 next Wednesday (Aug. 26), and when the 11-time NBA All-Star officially signs, he will become the second player in league history to sign for over $90 million in guaranteed salary at age 37 or older, with LeBron being the other. — 8/20/2026 x.com

Shams Charania: In June, Harden declined his $42.3 million player option, but at the outset of free agency he and his agents worked with the Cavaliers on two- and three-year structures. The Cavaliers needed Harden to lower his annual salary in a three-year deal, versus a more costly two-year deal, in order to get under the first and second aprons – as well as give Cleveland the time necessary late into the offseason to trade for Peyton Watson. Harden played a key recruiting role with Watson during his restricted free agency, staying in active communication to push him to Cleveland, per sources. — 8/20/2026 x.com

Marc Stein: Reported on Sunday night that, according to one source briefed on the process, James Harden’s long-awaited new deal with the Cavaliers would be signed “soon-ish.” Cleveland can finally proceed with finalizing Harden’s pact after its Schröder/Strus/Watson five-teamer is official. — 8/20/2026 x.com

Bobby Marks: Notes for Cleveland- Sign-and-trade hard caps them at the first apron - Prior to re-signing James Harden, they are roughly $29M below the first apron - They have no tradeable firsts available right now — 8/19/2026 x.com

Dennis Schroeder expressed strong optimism regarding his recent trade to the Charlotte Hornets, viewing the transition as a superior opportunity for his career. Speaking with Braunschweiger Zeitung during a Braunschweig Lions game on Sunday, the German national team captain revealed he had advance knowledge of the move. “I’ve known for a month. I think it’s a better situation for me from a sporting perspective,” he stated in an interview published Monday. The Braunschweig native reflected on his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, explaining the tactical difficulty of playing behind star teammates Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. “When you have two legends in your position who bring the ball up the court and play a lot of isolation, then it’s just difficult,” he noted. Forced to adapt in the shadow of that duo, he described his assignment as ‘an extremely difficult role’. Despite those challenges, he remained satisfied with his stint in Ohio, which culminated in an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, an achievement he described simply as ‘cool’. — 8/17/2026 EuroHoops.net

Oh No He Didn't: Mike D'Antoni on coaching James Harden: "I remember when I went and told him he was going to run the offense as the point guard I'm sure he was channeling his inner Bob McAdoo and thought coach just give me the effing ball. He's one of the most skilled players I've ever coached, and I appreciate the trust he gave me. Thank you, James" — 8/15/2026 x.com

NBACentral: Austin Rivers calls out the media and NBA fans for failing to appreciate Russell Westbrook during his career, and predicts James Harden, Devin Booker, and Donovan Mitchell won’t get their proper respect until they’re gone (h/t @big_business_) — 8/14/2026 x.com

D'Antoni on the James Harden and Chris Paul Rockets: "We thought we were the best team in the league by far that year for sure. And we had Golden State on the ropes, with their Big 3 -- Big 4, actually, they'll probably have four Hall-of-Fame guys going in. They were good, and Steve Kerr does a great job. We had 'em, you know? We had 'em, and just, Chris [Paul] got hurt, and that's just the way it goes. And then we missed 27 3s in a row, which didn't help. Analytically, I know that's not good! I knew it wasn't when we were doing it, but just a great team." — 8/14/2026 YouTube

Yossi Gozlan: The Cavaliers free up $6.8 million in this swap. They’re approximately $30 million under the first apron with at least one open roster spot, one of which is for James Harden. They’re also $42 million under the second apron and could still increase payroll up to it. — 8/14/2026 x.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: James Harden's new contract with Cavaliers fully guaranteed

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