James Harden's Role in Potential LeBron James-Cavs Contract Revealed in New NBA Rumors

James Harden is reportedly trying to help facilitate LeBron James' potential return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

According to The Athletic's Joe Vardon, "Harden declined his $42.3 million player option and is now a free agent. He is expected to return to Cleveland on a new contract, but Harden is waiting to sign to give the Cavs the flexibility they need to make a move like adding LeBron for next season, according to a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe ongoing deliberations."

So, how does all of this work?

As Vardon noted, Harden taking something in the range of $30 million per season—and the Cavs trading a veteran like Max Strus, Dennis Schröder or both—could free them to offer James the $15 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception.

But there's a real "the Cavaliers are so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should" feeling to all of this.

While James returning home to Cleveland for a third time would be a massive story, there's very real questions about the basketball fit. Both Harden, James and Donovan Mitchell all like to operate with the ball in their hands, and while pairing two of them together can absolutely work, three of them on the same roster is going to require some sacrifice.

Add in the fact that the big-man duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley isn't the most natural pairing in the modern NBA and the Cavaliers would have some interesting roster balance to consider (not too mention very little depth if role players are traded to accommodate James from a cap space perspective).

The counterargument is pretty simple—it's LeBron freaking James we're talking about here. The Cavaliers have a roster on the brink of title contention and Cleveland fans would be thrilled to see him return. If there's any chance he's the last piece needed to secure another title, why not take it?

Harden has evolved into more of a pure playmaker later in his career than the scoring dynamo he was in his prime, and James would be an upgrade on him as a true No. 2 scorer behind Mitchell. James is also far more clutch in the postseason than Harden. Remember the veteran point guard shooting just 17.9 percent from three, averaging just 16 points per game and getting picked on defensively during an Eastern Conference Finals sweep by the New York Knicks?

James has shown little signs of degradation, averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds during this year's playoffs.

Other suitors lurk, namely the Golden State Warriors. This wouldn't be an addition without some serious question marks. But the Cavaliers have at least a pathway to bringing James back for a third time this summer.