James Harden makes interesting decision about his contract
Feb 25, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden (1) brings the ball up court against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
James Harden has made an interesting decision regarding his contract.
Harden declined his $47.3 million option for next season. But both Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania say Harden intends to re-sign on a team-friendly deal.
Harden’s sole focus: Win a title in Philadelphia next season. Harden returned to his workout and on-court regimen much sooner than usual this offseason, pouring his full focus on 2022-23 and a championship run. https://t.co/8muicTaJx6
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2022
The contract would be aimed at helping the Sixers build a bench to be competitive.
Thanks to a new deal with Harden for less, the Sixers would be able to offer the $10.5 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception without needing to make any other moves.
Harden, 32, was traded by Brooklyn to Philadelphia at the trade deadline. He averaged 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game in 21 contests with the Sixers. The team lost in the second round of the playoffs.
Harden apparently is reenergized and focused on trying to win a championship with the Sixers.
