James Harden is trying to help the Cleveland Cavaliers get LeBron James.
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, James Harden is waiting to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers to give the team flexibility to sign LeBron James.
Harden and LeBron are free agents.
"On Monday, Harden declined his $42.3 million player option and is now a free agent," Vardon wrote. "He is expected to return to Cleveland on a new contract, but Harden is waiting to sign to give the Cavs the flexibility they need to make a move like adding LeBron for next season, according to a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations.
"One of the main factors commonly cited for James not returning to Cleveland is the small salary available for him there due to the league’s salary cap rules. The Cavs’ roster appeared to be too expensive for them to pay him anything other than the minimum, which is roughly $4 million, and the rules appeared too punitive for them to shed salary to pay him more while remaining competitive."
If Harden signs for $30 million and if Cleveland can deal Max Strus and take back no salary in return, the Cavaliers would be able to give LeBron the mid-level exception.
Along with the Cavaliers, LeBron has been linked to the Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat.
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.
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.
For the Los Angeles Lakers this past season, LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. He's still an elite offensive player, so if the Cavaliers want to reunite with The King, they need to create more cap space.
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