Report: Cleveland Cavaliers to Sign James Harden to New Multi-Year Deal

The Cleveland Cavaliers will sign James Harden to a new multi-year deal soon, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. 

Harden will decline his player option for next season and sign a new contract with the Cavaliers. 

Cleveland acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers in February. Harden helped the Cavaliers make the conference finals this year for the first time since 2018, but the New York Knicks swept the Wine and Gold.

The Cavaliers should have won Game 1 in New York at Madison Square Garden. Trailing by 22 points with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks had Jalen Brunson go at Harden on defense, and it got hideous for Harden and Cleveland very quickly. 

The result was a 44-11 flurry by New York in the fourth quarter and overtime, completing one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history with a 115-104 victory.

After the Knicks swept the Cavaliers, Harden told reporters that he wants to remain in Cleveland with Donovan Mitchell and Kenny Atkinson.

"Definitely want to be here," Harden said. "I think we found something. It's tough. It's not ending how we wanted to, but I think we found something."

Harden averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists per game for the Cavaliers in the regular season and 19.2 points and 5.5 assists per game in the playoffs. The future Hall of Famer still hasn't won a championship. 

Harden has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Clippers and Cavaliers. He's currently considered the greatest player in NBA history to not have a championship.

We'll see if The Beard ever wins a ring. The 2018 MVP with the Rockets reached the NBA Finals in 2012 with OKC. The Thunder lost to LeBron James and the Miami Heat in five games. Harden hasn't gotten back to the NBA Finals since then.  

Harden was arrested in Texas earlier this month. He was charged with the unlawful carrying of weapons.

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