After turning down a $47.4MM player option for the 2022/23 season, star guard James Harden will accept a starting salary about $15MM below that on a new deal with the Sixers, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). That would result in a ’22/23 salary in the $32-33MM range.
According to Charania, Harden intends to sign a two-year contract with Philadelphia that includes a player option for ’23/24. While the exact terms of the deal aren’t yet known, Charania’s reporting suggests a total value in the neighborhood of $66-68MM.
When Harden declined his option last week, reports at the time indicated that he planned to sign a new contract with the Sixers that included a lower first-year salary in order to help the team accommodate other roster moves.
Philadelphia has since used its full mid-level exception to sign P.J. Tucker and its bi-annual exception to sign Danuel House, hard-capping team salary at approximately $157MM for the season. Harden’s new deal should leave the 76ers with about $2MM in wiggle room below that hard cap, tweets Derek Bodner of The Daily Six.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Harden’s close relationships with key figures in the Sixers organization, including president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and minority owner Michael Rubin (who is selling his stake in the franchise but is expected to remain involved), were major factors in establishing trust between the two sides during negotiations.
There was a sense after Harden declined his option that he’d be rewarded with a long-term contract that would give him more total guaranteed money, but the one-plus-one structure will give him the chance to opt out and sign a new maximum-salary contract next summer. It will also give him veto power on any trade during the 2022/23 league year.
Harden, who was traded from Brooklyn to Philadelphia midway through the 2021/22 season, had a down year by his standards and was hampered by a hamstring injury. The 10-time All-Star finished the season with 22.0 PPG, 10.3 APG, and 7.7 RPG on .410/.330/.877 shooting in 65 total games (37.2 MPG) for the Nets and Sixers.
Charania reported last week that the former MVP has resumed his workout and on-court program much earlier than usual this offseason and has communicated to Sixers officials that he’s focused on winning a championship in 2023.
Omg. What a bonehead he and his agent ! They got screwed big time by Morey. There is no guarantee whatsoever next offseason. Money will dry out for old players like Harden. He literally went from $250m guarantee to $70m overnight by not staying in Brooklyn. Goodness!
Player option, per Shams
Yes, harden taking a chance that he will be able to sign super max next offseason.
No one is giving Harden $250m. This isn’t 2016.
He had super max extension offer while playing for Nets.
lol people are gonna be negative about any deal these days. I’m sure you’d criticize morey if he paid him more too
He prolly just wants a ring at this point he has more than enough money
Ring is important, but long term super max is more important. His agents didnt play their cards right. They were pronably promised 4-5 yr contract next offseason by Morey.
Not all NBA players are selfish turds
I kinda think they players union may not like this much, since he is pretty much opting out of 1/47M for 1/33.
Thats the type of “discount” the union really seems to frown on since it sets a bad precedent for star players to have to take less money.
When did the NBAPA ever do that (frown on something like this)-?
I didn’t expect it from Harden. Leaving 15M on the table to help improve the team sounds more like Duncan or Dirk
Just FANTASTIC for the Sixers
Huge for the Sixers and Morey. Huge unnecessary gamble by Harden.
@Michol: It’s called being a team player
He could have taken less this yr but he should have gotten something back long term.
What are you, his agent? He took a contract that he deemed fair. Sorry it isn’t enough for you!
The owners could also be team players by spending more money.
I like this for the Sixers. Harden is not the player he once was, but you can put him in a role to succeed and manage his workloads where he can be worth that money.
Lebronze take not on this.
He probably got paid under the table with stripper club credits. In the realm of 10-15m
Source????
You would be that guy.
The source would be Magic City
Dude wants to win. Take the money and suck. He’s already made a ton of cash. He knows he’s in a good spot and can help the TEAM. Typical douche take by this guy about the money. Clap your hands everybody. 10 9 8 76ers
Quit people. All Harden has to do is opt in to get his money, $67mil.
Basically he’s signing for $20mil for 23/24, which is likely about what he would be offered, given an apparent decline that started 21/22.
BTW HR/Luke, “in the neighboorhood of 66-68MM” could be “about $67MM”.
Harden didn’t leave anything on the table. Maybe when he left BKN, but not now based on a before and after if he plays well or if he doesn’t.
If he continues to regress to the point of worthlessness, he went from 47 mm guaranteed to 66 mm guaranteed. If he plays closer to what he was previously, he can opt out again and then insist on a new 5 year deal from that point.
This gives Harden the opportunity to get the hell upon outta there after this season if he feels they can’t contend. This is smart on his part because without another major leap from Maxey or another major move this team isn’t competing with Miami, Boston or Milwaukee barring major injuries.
With the most dominant player in the league joel Emvp and the top ranked starting 5 offensively in the NBA, a vastly improved bench and a few tweaks up the mad genius moreys sleeve you my friend are absolutely incredulously incorrect and embarrassingly incompetent in your opinion.
Joel Embiid hasn’t won s**t and has never made it out of the second round. He’s never even played 70 games. Hop off bro give it up. Maybe this will be your year of validation, I highly doubt it though.
Invalid argument based on a common fact true for 96.34 percent of current NBA players.
Your argument is invalid as well.
The most dominant player in the NBA plays for Milwaukee.
Seeing as the team with the best offensive rating in the East last year was Atlanta only got better offensively with the addition of Murray and as the 76ers options are very limited at starting SF with Thybulle (no offense whatsoever) and Tucker (only good at corner 3s) I don’t see how they can be the best starting five offensively.
Furthermore adding one player in De’Anthony Melton does not make a bench vastly improved.
They’re good enough though that if the top three teams in the East all suffer a major injury they could maybe have enough to get to the Finals and lose to Golden State, Memphis or Phoenix.
Seems like Harden is tired of jumping around and wants to make Philly his home at least until he retires.
That means if by some miracle he picks up player option he’s basically playing for the 47.5 this season and like 15 that second season. Crazy
15. Not close. Another Woww blunder, all to exaggerate a point.
Not sure why Philly fans are celebrating this. Harden is washed. Father Time is undefeated! All the extra effort extended to rack up years worth of meaningless triple-doubles has caught up with this dude. When factoring in defense, DeAnthony Melton is a better player than Harden right now. Melton might be the guy to save Philly’s season. Although, once again, they will NOT be advancing past the 2nd round. Isn’t it funny how both Minnesota and Philly had the dude (Jimmy Butler) who gave them the edge they needed and they ran him away.
Your father rick had the worst hairpiece in NBA history.
Good thing no nba franchise bases anything off your opinion or knowledge.
Washed Up ……….. Finished ………….
ItsOver ………… DONE ……….
Analytics my Aaa ……..
Brunson? Bwaaaaaaa
Two matching cheeks …… UGuys
Harden still has to go to Lourdes and take a dip and get that Hamstring healed.
Maybe he’ll get in shape for 23/24, then get a good contract once the new TV money comes in for 24/25. Not saying this will happen but if there’s likely to be a huge increase in 24/25, then two year deals aren’t a bad tactic.
I he he come back to that H we will have rebuilt 3 years.tons of salary cap. If he ain’t won s**t since why not?