Sixers star James Harden took a $15 million pay cut during NBA free agency this summer. During an interview with Yahoo! Sports reporter Chris Haynes, he explained the logic behind that decision.
While Harden is still negotiating details of his two-year deal, which is expected to have a player option in the second year, he said he spoke with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey at the end of the season about how the team could improve its roster.
“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.”
