Shams: Harden stays with the Cavaliers for 3 years and $97 million, bringing his career earnings to over $500 million.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers have finalized a contract extension with 11-time All-Star guard James Harden. Harden will receive a three-year, fully guaranteed $97 million contract, including a player option for the 2028/29 season and a 15% trade bonus.

With the signing of his contract extension, the 36-year-old Harden will enter his 18th NBA season. He also officially becomes the fourth player in NBA history to surpass the $500 million mark in career earnings, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry.

As the third overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, Harden has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Clippers throughout his career. During this time, he has played a total of 1,195 regular season games, averaging 24.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, and has won numerous honors, including six All-NBA First Team selections, one Sixth Man of the Year award, three scoring titles, and two assist titles.

In February of this year, Harden was traded from the Clippers to the Cavaliers in a deal involving Darius Garland. To date, he has played 26 regular-season games for the Cavaliers, averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in 33.8 minutes per game, with a field goal percentage of 46.6% and a three-point percentage of 43.5%.

However, Harden failed to lead the team further in the playoffs. Despite averaging 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game, the Cavaliers were ultimately swept 0-4 by the New York Knicks, ending their run in the Eastern Conference Finals.

To make the Cavaliers more competitive next season, Harden declined his $42.3 million player option for the 2026/27 season in June. He also proactively postponed his contract extension during negotiations and accepted a lower salary structure to help the Cavaliers avoid the first and second highest-paid leagues.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers completed several key moves around their roster: they first acquired Payton Watson in a five-team trade, and then signed Croatian star Mario Hezonja from Real Madrid. Shams further pointed out that Harden actively participated in recruiting Watson while he was a restricted free agent, ultimately facilitating his move to the Cavaliers.

Image source: Internet/NBA official website