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James Harden has signed a new contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. On Wednesday, it was reported that he’d reached an agreement with the team on a two-year, $68.6 million deal.
The latest terms were negotiated with one thing in mind. Harden wanted to take a pay cut to allow Philly a chance to go after a few more playmakers. His goal is to win a championship in the City of Brotherly Love, and the Sixers appear to be on the verge.
NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the signing, and he went into detail on the contract terms.
Harden will make $33M for the 2022-2023 season, and has the player option for $35.6M in 2023-2024, sources tell ESPN. He can move right back into free agency next summer and negotiate another new deal.
Harden declining the $47.4M player option for the 2022-2023 season allowed the Sixers to use the full mid-level exception on free agent PJ Tucker and the bi-annual exception to sign Danuel House.
The guard will make about $15 million less in 2022 than if he’d taken his player option with the team. That allowed Philadelphia to sign a pair of future contributors in Tucker and House.
Many fans don’t think the move was worth it, and they’re letting Harden know on social media.
Fans troll James Harden for taking a pay cut just to sign PJ Tucker and Danuel House
James Harden may not be the same player that he was in Houston, but he’s still worthy of a high paying contract. The guard averaged 22 points a game last year, splitting time between Brooklyn and Philadelphia. He also chipped in 10.3 assists and 7.7 boards a night.
So, when he made the decision to take the pay cut, many were stunned. Now, they think he should’ve taken the money.
https://twitter.com/rystryks/status/1549899400553517056?s=20&t=5RAgnfC8IEqABKFc00yegQ
https://twitter.com/MarteEnjoyer/status/1549895229695791104?s=20&t=5RAgnfC8IEqABKFc00yegQ
He should’ve taken the money lol. PJ Tucker and Daniel House don’t move the needle https://t.co/eMAgYWDdZi
— Eli (@eh910_) July 20, 2022
So he lost 14 million for pj tucker 🫠 https://t.co/tVXG5dfqnT
— Minkage (@Tmink123) July 20, 2022
He took a paycut for these two? 😂 https://t.co/OrT3XsY3LD
— The artist formerly known as… (@PurpleRain_1911) July 20, 2022
Shit he should’ve took the money instead https://t.co/bQbh5X8pPH
— Joke 🃏 (@Jokeeee_) July 20, 2022
Harden played with both Tucker and House in Houston, but the team never made it out of the second round of the playoffs. The Sixers are hoping for better luck this time around.