Report: James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers Expected to Agree to Multi-Year Deal

James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to agree to a multi-year deal this offseason, according to ESPN. 

Harden has a player option for next season worth $42.3 million. He's expected to decline it and sign a new deal 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. 

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. 

The Cavaliers will be linked to LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. There will be an abundance of storylines to track in Cleveland this offseason.

Most people expect Harden and Mitchell to be back with the Cavaliers next season. However, until we see it, nothing is guaranteed in today's NBA after the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers last season out of nowhere.

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 and the Miami Heat in five games. Harden hasn't gotten back to the NBA Finals since then.  

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