James Harden is still a free agent, but it's not because the Cleveland Cavaliers don't want to bring him back.
It's because of LeBron James.
As long as Harden is still unsigned, it means the Cavs still think they have a legitimate chance of bringing James back to northeast Ohio.
Essentially, the idea is that the Cavs don't want to tie up any money with Harden until they know exactly how much space LeBron will (or won't) take up on their salary cap sheet.
Best available NBA free agents:
PG
James Harden
Russell Westbrook
Gabe Vincent
Brandon Williams
Aaron Holiday
SG
Bennedict Mathurin (R)
Bruce Brown
Bradley Beal
Gary Payton II
Andre Jackson Jr
SF
DeMar DeRozan
Spencer Jones (R)
Jae'Sean Tate
AJ Lawson
Doug McDermott
PF
LeBron…
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 21, 2026
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James appears to be down to either three or four teams in his decision-making process, with the Cavs contending with the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors.
While reports keep coming out that LeBron may announce his choice soon, it's not actually certain when the basketball world will learn his next home.
James has no real reason to rush, and as far as Harden is concerned, there's not a ton of rush, either. The lefty plans to come back to Cleveland, it'll just be about hashing out the specific contract details when the time comes.
Harden certainly would like the chance to play with LeBron. Maybe the Cavs can still make it happen.
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