{"id":197497,"date":"2026-05-27T09:25:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=197497"},"modified":"2026-05-27T09:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T13:25:26","slug":"cavs-james-harden-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/27\/cavs-james-harden-trade\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s How The Cavs End The James Harden Experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Only the Cleveland Cavaliers would think about extending James Harden<\/a>‘s contract after his performance directly contributed to their team being swept by the New York Knicks in the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals. The same team barely escaped the second round of the playoffs, needing seven games to defeat Cade Cunningham<\/a>‘s Detroit Pistons, largely due to Harden’s inefficient offense and defective defense. By the numbers, he was horrendous, shooting 38.0% from the field (29.4% from 3) against the Pistons and averaging 4.4 turnovers per game. In the ECF, Harden shot 38.9% (17.9% from 3) and posted 17 turnovers to 12 assists.<\/p>\n

In what world, beside Cavs general manager Koby Altman’s, is that deserving of a multi-year contract? Moreover, even if cooler heads have theoretically prevailed, how can Cleveland have enough confidence in Harden’s performance for news to spread about an anticipated extension<\/a> (h\/t ESPN’s Brian Windhorst) merely a day after being swept?<\/p>\n

Frankly, the only reason to keep Harden is to save face for the Darius Garland<\/a> trade. Garland was a flawed defender whose chemistry with Donovan Mitchell<\/a>, the team’s top talent, was in question<\/a>. Two of his past three seasons have been ravaged by injury, significantly reducing his availability. Even so, Garland is still 10 years younger than Harden. As a two-time All-Star approaching his theoretical prime, he represented the Cavs’ future. Yet, Cleveland was so gung-ho about appeasing Mitchell that they chose to swap spit<\/a> with the Los Angeles Clippers.<\/p>\n

The Cleveland Cavaliers Need To Trade James Harden ASAP<\/h2>\n

To put it as plainly as possible, Harden cannot remain with the Cavaliers. To be even more clear, he needs to be off the team by the start of the 2026-27 preseason. Though his contract is an obstacle, it isn’t insurmountable.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve seen enough. Idk where Harden gotta go, but he can\u2019t stay here<\/p>\n

\u2014 Quenton Albertie (\u25b3\u20d2\u20d8) (@qshironalberti3) May 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n