James Harden's Free Agency Will Prove Clippers Right Once Again

Less than four months after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers, James Harden's season came to an unceremonious end. In the Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, Harden shot 38.9% from the field and 17.9% from three and had five more turnovers than assists while averaging only 16 points in 17 minutes per game. The Cavs were swept in one of the most lopsided conference finals of all-time.

Now, the difficult part of Cleveland's offseason begins. As the team with the highest payroll in the league and projected to be above second apron, the Cavs have to make tough decisions.

James Harden will only make those decisions harder.

Clippers Should Be Glad They Don't Have to Deal With James Harden This Offseason

After trading Darius Garland to the Clippers in exchange for Harden at the deadline, the Cavaliers now have no choice but to keep Harden for next season and beyond.

The 36-year-old guard has a player option for $42.3 million for next season. The Cavs have to give him a longer-term extension to convince him to turn down that option. Otherwise, Harden will pick up that option and be overpaid on that salary. In that case, he will be an expiring salary and a flight risk. How motivated he would be in that scenario is unclear.

This means that the Cavs will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they let him walk, they will have lost Garland for four months of Harden and a Conference Finals sweep. If they keep him, it will take away from their financial flexibility going forward.

But the finances may be the least of Cleveland's worries when it comes to Harden.

The veteran guard's inability to produce at a high level late in the playoffs remains a major concern. For any title contender, this is an issue. Against elite defenses in the postseason, Harden's effectiveness takes a big hit.

Add in the fact that he is a huge defensive liability, and it becomes nearly impossible for Harden to be a part of a team with championship aspirations.

Before the trade deadline, the Clippers were on a similar boat as the Cavs. They made the smart calculation that Harden wasn't getting them to contention in the present while hurting their flexibility in the future.

While Garland isn't making them a contender, either, at least he has significant upside. He is ten years younger than Harden, and there is a chance that the Clippers can have him on a team-friendly contract going forward. Clippers fans must be thankful that Harden is someone else's problem now.

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