Cleveland Cavaliers star James Harden dropped nine spots in ESPN's top 50 NBA players list.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden made ESPN's top 50 NBA players list again.
However, he dropped nine spots.
Harden was ranked No. 23 last season. He's ranked No. 32 for the upcoming season.
Harden is one spot ahead of Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and one spot behind Amen Thompson of the Houston Rockets.
The Cavaliers acquired Harden from the LA Clippers last season. Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists per game for Cleveland in the regular season and 19.2 points and 5.5 assists per game in the playoffs.
Cleveland defeated the Toronto Raptors and Pistons to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last season for the first time since 1992 without LeBron James on the roster. The New York Knicks, who won the 2026 championship against the San Antonio Spurs, swept the Cavaliers in the conference finals.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson will start Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen next season. On paper, that's a talented starting five.
Cleveland acquired Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a sign-and-trade deal. Harden recruited Watson to the Cavaliers.
One of the best players in NBA history, Harden has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers and Cavaliers. He holds career averages of 24.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the regular season and 22.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game in the playoffs.
Harden is still searching for his first NBA championship. He went to the NBA Finals in 2012 with the Thunder, who lost to LeBron and the Miami Heat in five games.
A top-75 player of all time, Harden has made 11 All-Star teams and eight All-NBA teams. He won the 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year award with the Thunder and the 2017-18 MVP award with the Rockets.
The Cavaliers re-signed Harden to a three-year, $97 million contract this summer. Harden waited until September to sign his new deal because he was giving Cleveland time to get LeBron, who went to the 76ers.
After LeBron signed with Philadelphia, the Cavaliers got Watson, who signed a four-year, $88 million deal to join the Wine and Gold. The contract includes a player option and a trade kicker.
For the Nuggets last season, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from beyond the arc and 73.0% from the free-throw line. He's one of the top two-way wings in the league.
