James Harden Will Reportedly Exercise His Player Option for Next Season
From Shams:
As part of deal, new 76ers star James Harden is opting into his $47.3 million player option on contract for next season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 10, 2022
Harden could have waived that option to become a free agent at the end of this season.
What happens here is that Bird rights carry over, so Harden would have been able to sign for five-years and $269 million if he opted out. Instead, he’s basically guaranteeing he gets his $47 million next year and then can sign four years around $223 million, so by doing what he’s doing he’s earning a little bit more money.
Couple of explainers here:
These are Harden’s contract options (except the “re-signs with BKN” column is now “re-signs with PHI).
He’s going to make more money by picking up his option + signing an extension than he would by becoming a free agent. pic.twitter.com/bz8BgKIxEh
— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) February 10, 2022
"In three years … we're going to be talking about James Harden like we're talking about Russell Westbrook and John Wall from a contract standpoint. That contract will be the worst contract in NBA history."
—@BobbyMarks42 pic.twitter.com/5kxHEVpw2G
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 10, 2022
