{"id":244233,"date":"2026-05-19T21:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/if-anyone-needs-this-the-113m-elephant-in-room-nba-contender-cant-ignore-after-huge-trade-play\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T21:55:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T21:55:00","slug":"if-anyone-needs-this-the-113m-elephant-in-room-nba-contender-cant-ignore-after-huge-trade-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/if-anyone-needs-this-the-113m-elephant-in-room-nba-contender-cant-ignore-after-huge-trade-play\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018If anyone needs this\u2019: The $113m elephant in room NBA contender can\u2019t ignore after huge trade play"},"content":{"rendered":"

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James Harden is at a defining stage of his career, with another deep playoff run offering a chance to reshape the narrative that has followed him for years.<\/p>\n

Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs.|<\/i> New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/i><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The 36-year-old, now in his 17th NBA season on a two year $81 million deal ($113m AUD) , holds a 97-89 playoff record and sits 10th all-time in postseason scoring, yet he remains the player with the most playoff wins without a championship, sitting behind Jazz legend Karl Malone in that category.<\/p>\n

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That history has once again come into focus, even as Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped an eight-year drought by reaching the Eastern Conference Finals with a Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons.<\/p>\n

Despite a quiet outing in the series decider, Harden\u2019s side advanced, with Cleveland overpowering Detroit to book a long-awaited return to the Conference Finals. It is his first time getting past the second round since 2018, when he led the Houston Rockets into a dramatic seven-game Western Conference Finals clash with the Golden State Warriors, featuring Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.<\/p>\n

That 2018 run still lingers in NBA memory, particularly Houston\u2019s Game 7 collapse where they missed 27 straight three-pointers, a record that defined a lost opportunity at the time.<\/p>\n

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James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets reacts after making a three-point basket during the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Toyota Center on December 25, 2018 in Houston, Texas. Bob Levey\/Getty Images\/AFP<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Since then, Harden\u2019s playoff journey has been defined by near misses, including five consecutive second-round exits across stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, as well as back-to-back first-round defeats with the Los Angeles Clippers alongside Kawhi Leonard in 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n

This season brought a fresh start in Cleveland after a trade that reshaped the roster around Donovan Mitchell, with the Cavaliers pushing through a tough seven-game series against the top-seeded Pistons.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019ve never seen anything like this\u2019: NBA blown away by Wemby explosion as Thunder stunned in Western Conference Finals<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Harden\u2019s Game 7 line of nine points on 2-of-10 shooting, along with five rebounds and six assists, summed up a subdued individual performance in a team win that carried them forward.<\/p>\n

Former NBA veteran Al Harrington believes the pressure on Harden is only increasing at this stage of the playoffs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anyone needs this, him. Out of all the players I think that we mentioned, he\u2019s had a storeyed career, Hall of Famer, but just hasn\u2019t been able to really step up in those big moments,\u201d Harrington said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has to be special. He has to step up and play at a high level in order for them to get to this next round.\u201d<\/p>\n

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – MAY 13: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers walks off the court after defeating the Detroit Pistons in overtime after Game Five of the Second Round of the NBA (Photo by Gregory Shamus\/Getty Images)<\/span>Source: Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NBA analyst Zach Lowe also weighed in on the situation on the Bill Simmons podcast<\/a>, suggesting there has long been an understanding between Harden and his recent teams about future direction.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there was an understanding between James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers about what would come next,\u201d Lowe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if they had just flamed out in this series, and by the way, he was two of ten today, it\u2019s not like he covered himself in glory in this game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowe added that Harden\u2019s long-term outlook may already be under quiet discussion inside the organisation, particularly given his age and recent playoff history.<\/p>\n

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James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the second quarter of a game against the Detroit Pistons in Game Two of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs \/ GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA \/ Getty Images via AFP)<\/span>Source: AFP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The future of Harden in Cleveland remains one of the key off-season storylines, though NBA insider Brian Windhorst believes both sides are aligned on continuing the partnership.<\/p>\n

Harden is in his first season with the Cavaliers after arriving via a blockbuster trade involving Darius Garland, and Windhorst expects that move to extend beyond this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames Harden\u2019s gonna be a Cav. They\u2019re gonna give him a new contract,\u201d Windhorst said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey made this deal for basically the next season and a half to two years. The 2026 playoffs were a big part of why they made that deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Harden is at a defining stage of his career, with another deep playoff run offering a chance to reshape the narrative that has followed him for years. Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs.| New to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":244234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6807],"tags":[2228,73058,1800,14650,1804,11900,2178,2159,1943,73061,7361,73057,73052,3118,2837,1788,1425,2935,15621,48935,2860,3008,1969,5158,2272,2105,73056,2081,3125,73059,1533,1809,2181,2628,2610,2354,17817,14866,73054,5671,73060,2711,4596,4968,73055,2858,1946,8372,73053,10102,1792,3024],"class_list":{"0":"post-244233","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leagues-cups","8":"tag-agence-france-presse","9":"tag-al-harrington","10":"tag-america","11":"tag-bill-simmons","12":"tag-blockbuster-trade","13":"tag-bob-levey","14":"tag-brian-windhorst","15":"tag-cleveland","16":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","17":"tag-consecutive-second-round-exits","18":"tag-defining-moment","19":"tag-defining-playoff-moment","20":"tag-defining-stage","21":"tag-detroit","22":"tag-detroit-pistons","23":"tag-espn-inc","24":"tag-getty-images-inc","25":"tag-golden-state-warriors","26":"tag-gregory-shamus","27":"tag-hall","28":"tag-houston","29":"tag-houston-rockets","30":"tag-james-harden","31":"tag-karl-malone","32":"tag-kawhi-leonard","33":"tag-kevin-durant","34":"tag-key-off-season-storylines","35":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","36":"tag-michigan","37":"tag-narrative-re-emerges","38":"tag-north-america","39":"tag-northern-america","40":"tag-ohio","41":"tag-oklahoma","42":"tag-oklahoma-city","43":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","44":"tag-playoff-career","45":"tag-playoff-history","46":"tag-playoff-journey","47":"tag-playoff-run","48":"tag-postseason-scoring","49":"tag-san-antonio","50":"tag-series-decider","51":"tag-stephen-curry","52":"tag-storeyed-career","53":"tag-team-win","54":"tag-texas","55":"tag-time-getting","56":"tag-tough-seven-game-series","57":"tag-toyota-center","58":"tag-united-states-of-america","59":"tag-zach-lowe"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244233\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}