Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden holds a $42.3 million player option on his contract for the 2026-27 season and wants to stay with the team, ESPN's Jamal Collier reports. "Definitely want to be here," Harden said after Monday's season-ending 130-93 loss to the New York Knicks. "I think we found something. It's tough. It's not ending how we wanted to, but I think we found something." Harden had a disappointing outing on Monday night, finishing with 12 points on a 2-for-8 effort from the field. But he showed strong play overall after arriving midseason from the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. The former MVP formed an excellent backcourt partnership with Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland went 16-6 with Harden and Mitchell in the lineup, and the team's 122.1 offensive efficiency with the two on the floor would have ranked first in the NBA over a full season.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell has no plans to move despite the team being swept in the Eastern Conference Finals by the New York Knicks. "I love it here. I don't know any other way to say it," Mitchell told reporters after Cleveland's season ended with a 130-93 blowout loss. The team struggled badly in Monday's elimination game despite Mitchell's 31 points. Mitchell reached the Conference Finals for the first time in his nine-year NBA career and clearly sees a bright future for the Cavaliers. He is eligible to sign a contract extension this offseason, ahead of his 30th birthday. While Mitchell isn't getting any younger, he still has plenty of fantasy value, having posted averages of 27.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.5 steals this season.

New York Knicks guard/forward Mikal Bridges contributed 15 points, three rebounds, and five assists during Monday's series-clinching 130-93 road win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Once again, Bridges did a solid job for the Knicks, though his hot hand finally cooled off. After making at least 57% of his field-goal attempts in eight consecutive games, Bridges finished 4-for-16 from the floor. He went 1-for-8 from three-point range and 6-for-6 at the line. While Bridges' recent percentages have been unsustainable, the Knicks will be hoping he can replicate that form in the NBA Finals to boost their title chances.

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby recorded 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Monday's 130-93 blowout win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made only one of five three-point attempts but finished a decent 6-for-13 from the field, helping the Knicks reach their first Finals since 1999. After recovering from a hamstring injury, Anunoby improved with each outing in the series, averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.0 steals. He will compete for his second NBA championship and has some unfinished business after not seeing the floor in the 2019 Finals as a member of the Toronto Raptors.