James Harden is also very safe (4)
Here’s where things get a tad trickier. The Cavaliers will obviously want to keep the newly acquired James Harden as he’s a big part of their currently constructed core. They also just shipped away Darius Garland for him, a hefty price.
Harden has a player option for this summer and while at this point it would be absolutely shocking for him to leave, it’s worth discussing.
To start, Harden was likely dealt to Cleveland on the mutual understanding that he’d stick around. That could come in two forms, the first being that he’ll just opt-in to his player option for next year and go from there. The second is that he could opt-out and resign on a new deal with the Cavaliers.
In any new deal, it’s a safe bet to say that Harden’s going to want a player option in there, which is a dangerous game to play with a 36-year old who’s had some issues in the past with loyalty to his team.
So, just for fun, let’s say that the Cavaliers have a very disappointing postseason this year and Harden is the same exact guy he’s always been in the playoffs. There’s a world, albeit an unlikely one, in which Cleveland simply isn’t willing to protect their aging star in an expansion draft.
Getting off his deal would open up the finances significantly and allow Altman to retool.
But, all that said, that’s an unlikely scenario. The more realistic one is that regardless of what happens in the spring, the Cavaliers stick with Harden, protecting him in the draft and preserving their core in a weak Eastern Conference.