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James Harden

Cleveland Cavaliers · #1 · Plus starter
PG6'5"220 lbage 3617 yrs expArizona StateLos Angeles, CA
3rd best of 9 on CLEworth +5.7 wins to the rotation
OFF89DEF73
Elite scorer & shooter
CLE
Cleveland Cavaliers
Eastern · Central · proj. 52-30 (▼4.2)
→
MVP8× All-NBA11× All-StarSixth Man of the Year

A 36-year-old maestro who's reinvented himself as a high-volume facilitator — 8 assists a game with elite foul-drawing (94th percentile) and 23.6 points on a terrific 61% true shooting. The burst is gone (21st-percentile inside finishing) and the turnovers pile up, but the playmaking, the foul baiting, and the 37.5% deep ball still bend a defense. On a player option for 2026-27.

23.6
PPG
4.8
RPG
8
APG
1.1
SPG
0.4
BPG
GP 70MPG 34.8FG% 43.43P% 37.5FT% 88.4TS% 61USG% 28.6PER 20.7BPM +3.9VORP 3.6EPM +3.0
2025-26 regular season · bars are percentile at his position

NBA player ratings

0–99 · 2025-26 form
Scoring94
Shooting87
Playmaking86
Rebounding86
Rim protection79
Perimeter defense70
Inside finishing66

Skill ratings are 2025-26 per-game and advanced stats (Basketball-Reference) ranked 0–99 within position (guards vs guards, bigs vs bigs). Overall is anchored to EPM impact on a non-linear curve, nudged by these skills; Offense and Defense come from box plus-minus. A player who missed the latest season is shown from his most recent one.

Career

2009-10 to 2025-26 · 17 seasons
24.0
PPG
5.6
RPG
7.3
APG
1,221
GAMES
Points 29,339Win Shares 182.4Starts 1,007Best season 2014-15 · 27.4 ppg
Games played, last three seasons90%
AMONG CURRENT PLAYERS
3rd in career points4th in Win Shares5th in All-Star selections7th in games played

Regular season, 2003-04 onward (Basketball-Reference). Averages are weighted by games played; honours count awards won, not finishes. “Current players” means the 802 who played in the last three seasons.

Trajectory

2023-24 → 2025-26 · age 34 → 36
▬Steady

James, at 36, has held steady — 8.3 → 7.9 wins of value over the window.

Age curve▲ Ahead of curve
Aging better than the curve — holding his level longer than most.
2026-27 forecast▼ 5.6 wins (-2.3)
Age takes about 1.6 wins off at 37. Range 4.0–7.2 wins.
Production (BPM)+4.1 → +3.9-0.226-27 forecast +2.9
His production has held roughly steady.
2023-24: +4.1 · 72 games2024-25: +4.3 · 79 games2025-26: +3.9 · 70 games2026-27: +2.9 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Value to team (wins)8.3 → 7.9-0.426-27 forecast 5.6
His value to a team has been stable.
2023-24: 8.3 · 72 games2024-25: 9.4 · 79 games2025-26: 7.9 · 70 games2026-27: 5.6 (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Contract value2026-27: worth $22.2M vs $32.3M salary−$10.2M
He is paid more than his play is projected to be worth.
$32.3M salary2023-24: $46.2M · 72 games2024-25: $50.5M · 79 games2025-26: $44.3M · 70 games2026-27: $22.2M (forecast)23-2425-2626-27
Current deal: $32,333,333 cap hit · through '29. On the contract row the flat dashed line is this salary, so the gap to the 2026-27 forecast is the surplus.

Seasons from Basketball-Reference (2023-24 → 2025-26). Production is box plus-minus, a per-possession measure. Value is VORP-based wins, so it also counts games played. Contract value is what each season’s play would fetch on the open market. The dotted 2026-27 point is a forecast: his established level, a year older, assuming a normal season.

Contract

2026-27
$32,333,333Guaranteed
14% of the club’s payroll · 3rd of 13 priced deals
Runs through3 seasons
Est. market value$22,160,000 /yr
Surplus−$10,173,333
ABOVE VALUEpaid above his on-court value

Market value is an estimate, not a reported figure: what his play is forecast to fetch on the open market in 2026-27 — his current rating, a year older. Cap thresholds are projected for 2026-27 until the league sets them.

2026-27 off-season

2 moves

OFFICIAL means the league’s own records carry the move; AGREED means a trusted insider reported it and the league has not processed it yet. Terms and attribution come from the wire, which is the only source that carries them.

Plays like

same position

Nearest skill profiles across the seven rating axes — who he plays like, not who is as good. The rating beside each name answers that second question.