When the Cavaliers traded for James Harden midseason, it surprised everyone. However, that move helped Cleveland reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018. The roster around Harden couldn’t hold up in the playoffs, and on 92.3 The Fan on Monday, host Anthony Lima claimed the wrong person has been blamed for it. That debate started with The Ringer’s end-of-season Top 100 NBA player rankings.

“If The Ringer thinks [Harden’s] the 30th-best player in the NBA, then we’ve got a problem with how we talk about this league,” Lima said. “He’s 30 out of 450. You gotta take that into consideration. And Darius Garland was in the 60s. Collin Sexton’s not in the top 1o0. You guys got to start to rework your thoughts on this league if you think he’s trash… You know what they’re going to yell. You know who’s younger and better? Darius Garland. No, he’s not!”

“What about the good in the Detroit series? What about the 30-point performance in 43 minutes when nobody had legs left on this team? What about him playing the most minutes for the Cavs?”

Harden averaged 19.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals in the playoffs as Cleveland advanced to the conference finals before getting swept by the eventual champion Knicks. The heavy workload on a shallow roster, along with Harden’s few underperformances, was blamed for the collapse.

“[Harden’s] playing the most amount of minutes and seventh-most in the NBA playoffs, and the six guys ahead of him were all younger and on Finals teams that played four rounds. We played three. Why? Because we couldn’t rely on anybody else… Evan Mobley cannot be relied upon. Donovan Mitchell cannot be relied upon enough to take the ball out of James Harden’s hands. You don’t have enough guys who can have the ball instead of him.”

The Cavaliers’ roster during the 2025-26 season was considered low in depth. Many analysts noticed that the young players couldn’t step up or deliver when needed, resulting in an over-reliance on Harden and Donovan Mitchell.

The Harden Contract Decision That Confirms Where Cleveland Stands

ESPN’s Shams Charania confirmed that James Harden is declining his $42.3 million player option for 2026-27, and the two sides are now working on a new multiyear deal. The opt-out benefits both parties, as it secures a higher guarantee for Harden in a multiyear contract, while allowing Cleveland to spread a lower annual salary over more seasons to help manage its tax cap situation.

Jake Fischer reported that early projections for the new deal have “generally landed in the $60 million range,” with some around the league believing the final figure could land even higher, and that Harden’s recent misdemeanor weapons arrest in Houston is not expected to affect the negotiations in any way.

Harden’s main goal at this point in his career is to win his first NBA championship, and he believes that remaining in Cleveland gives him the best chance to do so. Cleveland’s front office has indicated that it is still committed to keeping Harden alongside Mitchell as the core of the backcourt going into next season.