Harden's charge is gone, and Cleveland's backcourt picture just snapped back into focus

The gun charge from June was dismissed August 7, and James Harden is expected to re-sign with the Cavaliers. That's the whole story, and it's a good one for Cleveland.

Harden played only 36 games last season before declining his player option and walking, but those 36 games were a reminder of what he brings — 20.4 points and 7.1 assists per night, the kind of secondary playmaking that lets Donovan Mitchell play off the ball when he needs to. The backcourt void his departure created has been the organizing anxiety of this offseason. It looks considerably less anxious today.

The forward situation is still unresolved — Mario Hezonja's signing has been stuck in limbo since late July, and Dean Wade remains a starter who produces well below what the position typically demands. That problem doesn't disappear because Harden is coming back. But the backcourt problem, which was the bigger one, appears close to solved. Cleveland's offseason was trending toward a patchwork rebuild. Now it's trending toward continuity.