The New York Knicks swept the Cavaliers en route to the NBA Finals, which, of course, ended with them hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy, so it's not like anyone should've already seen Cleveland as a threat. The Cavs tried to change that on Wednesday by landing Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade, but then they turned around and signed James Harden to a three-year, $97 million deal.
Actually, it's a fully guaranteed three-year, $97 million deal with a trade kicker and player option for Harden, who turns 37 in a few days and averaged more turnovers (4.3) than assists (3.0) in the conference finals against New York. Yes, this is also the same Harden who shot 2-of-8 for 12 points in Game 4's loss to the Knicks. That James Harden.
The expectation was that Harden would re-sign, but for that much, on that kind of contract?
Cleveland can't get out of its own way, not even when it gets the wing it has been looking for in Watson. His four-year, $88 million deal might not age the way the Cavaliers hope, as they're going off a smaller sample size, but it was a move worth making, one that can make them better. But Harden? Nope.
They couldn't even let fans celebrate getting Watson, which had to feel good after missing out on LeBron James, before they signed Harden to a contract that will, in all likelihood, age terribly.
Cavaliers got a little better, and then they got worse
Just because of how last season went doesn't mean that New York should overlook any team on its schedule, and that applies to Cleveland, but it's not like how things went down in the playoffs was some fluke, either.
The Cavaliers doubled down on their decision to trade Darius Garland by giving Harden a hefty payday, although, as expected, he declined in the playoffs. He's not the MVP-caliber player he once was, nor is he even at an All-Star level, but they're still banking on him as if he is. They believe that he can help them get back to the championship glory they've been chasing since 2016.
Rather than start tearing things down after missing out on LeBron, Cleveland doubled down, unwilling to give up on its title dreams with its current core.
The bad news is that, for them, the Knicks aren't going anywhere, and unless Watson was what the Cavaliers were missing (he isn't, not even with his potential), it's still hard to envision them making it out of the East.
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