The two sides had agreed on $97 million, yet James Harden, 37, has signed a new three-year, $96.54 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers after the NBA's salary cap rules shaved a sliver off his pay. Despite the sceptics' doubts, the veteran point guard has featured in at least 70 games in each of the last three seasons, proving his reliability on the court.
His new deal has freed Cleveland from the financial squeeze of the second apron, the NBA's most punitive payroll threshold. Yet with the Cavaliers now sitting just $45,045 below the first apron, the league's lower spending limit, they cannot add a free agent until 9 April. That detail is no real headache for the club. A minor restriction is a small price to pay for keeping a seasoned, top-tier playmaker. Harden, whose NBA journey began when the Oklahoma City Thunder took him third overall in the 2009 draft, will now fight for success this season with a Cleveland side harbouring championship ambitions.
