James Harden plans two-year deal with Sixers

after, after to reject $47.4 million player option for 2022/23 season, Star Guard James Harden He will accept a starting salary of about $15 million less than that in a new deal with Sixerssources say to Shams Charania of Athletic (Twitter link). This would result in a 22/23 salary in the $32-33 million range.

According to Charania, Harden plans to sign a two-year contract with Philadelphia that includes a player option for ’23/24. While the exact terms of the deal are not yet known, Charania reports that the total value in the vicinity is between $66 and $68 million.

When Harden rejected his option last week, reports at the time indicated that he was planning to sign a new contract with the Sixers that includes a lower first-year salary in order to help the team absorb other roster moves.

Philadelphia has since used the complete mid-level exception for signature PJ Tucker The semi-annual exception for signature Danwell HouseThe club’s salary is severely capped at about $157 million for this season. Harden’s new deal should leave the 76ers with about $2 million in wiggle room under that hard cap, Tweets Derek Bodner of Daily Six.

According to Charania (Twitter link), Harden’s close relationships with key figures in the Sixers organization, including the head of basketball operations Daryl Morey and minority owner Michael Rubin (Which is sell his share In the franchise but expected to remain engaged), it was a key factor in building trust between the two sides during the negotiations.

There was a feeling after Harden rejected his option that he would be rewarded with a long-term contract that would give him more total guaranteed money, but the one-plus-one structure would give him the opportunity to withdraw and sign a new contract. Maximum salary contract next summer. It will also give him the veto power over any deal during the 2022/23 league year.

Harden, who was traded from Brooklyn to Philadelphia in the middle of the 2021/22 season, had a down year by his standards and picked up a hamstring injury. The 10-time All-Star finished the season with 22.0 PPG, 10.3 APG and 7.7 RPG over .410/.330/.877 in a total of 65 games (37.2 mpg) for the Nets and Sixers.

Charania reported last week that the former MVP had resumed his on-court training program much earlier than usual in this off-season and told Sixers officials that he is focused on winning a championship in 2023.