Breaking: James Harden Fractures Thumb In Injury Blow to Cavaliers

February 25, 2026

James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are 6-1 since acquiring James Harden in a blockbuster deal ahead of the trade deadline. That makes today's news a concern for the team, as they've announced that he has suffered a right thumb fracture. 

He suffered a non-displaced fracture to his thumb against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, and further medical evaluations & treatment are ongoing. 
But in what can only be called good news, the team is saying that Harden is only "questionable" for their game with the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. Clearly, it can't be that serious a situation if they haven't even declared him out for tonight's game. 

In fact, according to Shams Charania, Harden will not undergo surgery and intends to play through the fractured thumb for the rest of the season. 
Losing Harden for any period of time would be a big blow to the Cavs, as they have been on a heater since trading for him from the LA Clippers in exchange for Darius Garland. 
 
The 11-time All-Star's scoring is down since coming to The Land, but his impact on his team is not. He's averaging 18.9 points, 8 assists and 4.6 rebounds. His drop in scoring isn't a concern in Cleveland, who have Donovan Mitchell to fill it up. And he's certainly been doing so, averaging 28.5 points per game this season, and that number hasn't been hurt at all since the acquisition of Harden.   

The Cavs' run with Harden has them tied with the Knicks for the 3-seed in the Eastern Conference, just two games back of the Boston Celtics for 2nd. 

Photo: © Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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