Cavs' James Harden is still a free agent, but the plan is obvious

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When James Harden declined his player option, it wasn't exactly breaking news. It was expected that he'd do that and seek a new contract this offseason.

That doesn't mean he's leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers, though. It just means there's a bigger plan.

As Friday, July 3 gets underway, Harden remains a free agent.

The reality is that'll probably be true until LeBron James signs a contract somewhere.

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The Cavs would like to have their cap room as open as possible to figure out what King James might want before moving on to getting Harden's deal done.

And to be clear -- Harden seems likely to stay in Cleveland. Every report has suggested that.

It's just taking a bit of time.

LeBron, for his part, seems in no rush.

Harden probably isn't in a rush, either.

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These veterans don't have to move too quickly. They can wait it out to get things to line up just right.

The Cavs don't have a ton of cap wiggle room, so they have to get all these maneuvers just right.

LeBron might not come back to Cleveland anyway, and then it's even less of a complex situation.

But to get the King at all, the Cavs had to wait for Harden, and that's what they're doing.