James Harden says he wants to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers next season, even as the team’s season ends with a sweep by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, including a 37-point home loss in Game 6. Kenny Atkinson points to Cleveland’s ina
James Harden didn’t have to wait for the offseason to send a message. After Game 4 against the New York Knicks, with Cleveland’s Eastern Conference finals collapse already in motion, he told reporters he wants to be in Cleveland next season.
“Yes, 100%, definitely to both,” Harden said when asked if he wants and expects to be in Cleveland next season. “Definitely want to be here. It’s tough ending it not how we wanted to, but I think we found something.”
The Cavaliers’ season is over, and the way it ended has left little room for comfort. New York swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals. closing out the run with a 37-point loss on Cleveland’s home floor. The result all but guarantees a new layer of scrutiny on a core that has shown plenty of talent—but also plenty of playoff trouble.
One of the biggest questions facing Cleveland this summer is Harden himself. whose impending $42.3 million player option hangs over the franchise’s offseason decisions. Harden. Cleveland’s prized midseason acquisition. has already made his preference clear publicly. tying his future to the team’s direction after a short. difficult postseason.
His season with the Cavaliers began with a blockbuster trade. At the February deadline. Cleveland acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for point guard Darius Garland and a second-round draft pick. Harden arrived as an 11-time All-Star, averaging 20.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds across 26 regular season games with Cleveland.
But the playoffs told a different story. Against the Knicks. Harden couldn’t consistently find his scoring footing—failing to reach 20 points in any of the four games. In Game 4. the stat line reflected how rough the night was for the entire group: 12 points on 2-of-8 shooting. four rebounds. two assists. and five turnovers.
The loss wasn’t pinned on Harden alone. Cleveland, as a team, was outplayed and outclassed across the board in the series, a reality that is likely to fuel questions about what changes—if any—are needed within the roster.
Still, Harden chose to answer one of those doubts early with his own clarity. Donovan Mitchell offered a similar tone right after the game, pressing that Cleveland’s issues weren’t about commitment.
“I love it here,” Mitchell said after the game. “I don’t know how else to say it. I said it before I signed the other extension: I love it here. I have no doubt this group can get there. But reports are going to be reports and people are going to be people. I’ll say the same thing: we have unfinished business.”.
Mitchell’s situation is tied up in contract timing. He is under contract through next season and also has a player option for 2027-28. He is eligible for an extension this offseason, and if he doesn’t re-sign, there is speculation that Cleveland could be open to trading him.
Mitchell has been the face of Cleveland’s post-LeBron era since arriving from the Utah Jazz in the summer of 2022. The seven-time All-Star has helped push the Cavaliers to the furthest point since 2018, and the sweep leaves a sting that he didn’t try to soften.
“It was great energy to see in the city when we got to the conference finals. Just to feel that, it was amazing,” Mitchell said. “That’s why getting swept like this sucks because even driving in, people were going crazy. I love that. I love that about this place. The city deserves a ring and we just got to keep going.”.
Kenny Atkinson. explaining why he believes Cleveland’s failed Game 6 closeouts and the NBA’s condensed playoff schedule caught up to the Cavaliers against the Knicks. pointed to the pattern of the postseason as something Cleveland couldn’t outrun. In his view. the inability to close earlier series—and the reality of a schedule that compresses recovery and preparation—played a role in how this run ultimately ended.
For Harden, though, the immediate takeaway is simpler: he wants to return. With his $42.3 million player option looming and Cleveland’s failures now exposed under the brightest spotlight of the playoffs. his words don’t end the questions about performance. They do. however. make one thing plain—whatever the Cavaliers decide this summer. Harden says he’s trying to stay and build from what he believes they found.
James Harden Cleveland Cavaliers New York Knicks Eastern Conference finals NBA playoffs $42.3 million player option Darius Garland Kenny Atkinson Donovan Mitchell condensed playoff schedule
Harden just wants the bag, lol.
So he says he wants to be in Cleveland next year even after that sweep? I mean… wow. Game 6 was brutal, 37 at home??
Isn’t it funny how Kenny Atkinson says Harden “didn’t have to wait” like it’s some mind game. But if they got swept like that, maybe the message was the other way? Also 42.3 million sounds like too much for anyone to handle that kind of playoff pressure.
They traded Darius Garland and a pick for Harden and now they can’t even beat the Knicks… seems like a bad deal in hindsight. I feel like if Harden really wanted to stay, he would’ve “showed up” better in the playoffs, not just say stuff after. Also I’m confused—did they really lose 37 at home in Game 6 and then he’s talking like everything’s fine? I don’t get it.