James Harden is staying in Los Angeles.
The Clippers’ star is turning down his player option – worth $36.3 million – to sign a new two-year, $81.5 million contract with the organization, according to multiple reports.
The new deal with the Clippers comes with a player option and is partially guaranteed in its second year, and it aligns Harden with Kawhi Leonard, who is under contract with Los Angeles through 2027.
Harden remaining with the organization isn’t much of a surprise, considering the mutual respect both sides have had for one another since he arrived in LA in 2023.
The hooper has long said that he wanted to retire with the Clippers, who play in his hometown of Los Angeles.
“Hopefully I’m here for some years and retire here, so I can keep moving the needle off the court,” Harden said in 2024, according to The Athletic.
Harden will turn 36 in August and has struggled at times with the Clippers, but remains one of the key pieces on Los Angeles’ roster.
He averaged 22.8 points and 8.7 assists while earning All-NBA honors for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Harden appeared in 79 games and played 2,789 minutes, which was the most he’s played in eight years.
Had Harden not re-signed after declining the player option, he would have been an unrestricted free agent and a decision to opt in could have signaled a desire by Harden to move on to another team.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank had told reporters after the first round of the draft that Harden was the team’s No. 1 priority.
“We’re super hopeful that James is here, and he’s here for a long time,” Frank said. “But yet, at the same time, we always respect that he has a player option. So he can opt in, and obviously, we’re super, super excited with that. Or he can opt out, and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides.”
