Ex-Nets star-turned Philadelphia 76er James Harden is trying to spin his contract situation into a positive, claiming selflessness by taking a $15M pay cut on his salary in a one-plus-one deal that allows him to re-enter free agency next season.
Harden was initially supposed to opt-into the final year of his contract worth closer to $50M, but without an agent, he missed the deadline to file the paperwork last season. Instead, Harden said he spoke with 76ers’ team president Daryl Morey about the team’s cap situation.
“I had conversations with Daryl, and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players. I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over,” Harden told Yahoo Sports. “This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That’s all that matters to me at this stage. I’m willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that.”
