James Harden is reportedly headed back to the 76ers after agreeing to a new two-year deal with the organization during the summer’s free agency period. The contract, which both sides are still ironing out, is particularly notable because the 32-year-old guard is taking a notable pay cut to remain with the team.
Although the deal remains unsigned, it’s been reported that Harden, a 10-time All-Star, will ink a two-year deal worth $68 million to stay with the Sixers, which is well below the maximum amount he could’ve earned in Philadelphia. He previously declined his $47.4 million player option for the 2022–23 season and now will return to the team after taking a $15 million pay cut.
In an interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Harden discussed the decision to forego additional salary, explaining that he wanted the Sixers to use that available money to improve the rest of the roster. He shared that he spoke with Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and encouraged the front office to sign the necessary players before hashing out his own contract.
“I had conversations with [76ers president of basketball operations] Daryl [Morey], 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 Haynes. “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.”
The Sixers did exactly what Harden asked and focused on finding depth this offseason. Philadelphia signed veteran forward P.J. Tucker away from Miami on a three-year, $33 million deal and agreed to a two-year, $8.5 million deal with Harden’s former teammate in Houston, Danuel House. The 76ers also landed Grizzlies combo guard De’Anthony Melton via a draft night trade and signed Trevelin Queen, the 2021-22 G League MVP.
“I think we have a much deeper team,” Harden told Haynes. “That’s something we wanted to address. If you look at our team now, we’re positioned to go a lot further. I like how we stack up with the rest of the top teams.”
Depth or not, Harden will also need to return back to top form if the Sixers hope to remain competitive in a crowded Eastern Conference. The six-time All-NBA First Team guard saw his production drop significantly last season as he adjusted to a new system and dealt with a nagging hamstring injury. Even still, Harden averaged 21.0 points 7.1 rebounds and 10.5 assists in 21 games with Philadelphia.
Now set to spend a full season along perennial MVP candidate Joel Embiid, Harden expects to return to the court in a big way.
“I don’t really listen to what people are saying. I wasn’t right last season and I still almost averaged a triple-double,” Harden said, per Haynes. “If anybody else had those numbers, we’d be talking about them getting the max. People were used to seeing me averaging 40, 30 points, and so they viewed it as a down year. I was in Philadelphia for a couple of months and I had to learn on the fly. That’s just what it was. I’m in a good space physically and mentally right now, and I’m just looking forward to next season.”
