According to Harania, Harden intends to sign a two-year contract with Philadelphia that includes a player option for ’23/24. While the exact terms of the deal are not yet known, Charania’s report suggests a total value in the range of $66-68 million. When Harden declined his option last week, reports at the time said he planned to sign a new contract with the Sixers that included a lower first-year salary in order to help the team meet other roster moves. Philadelphia has since used the full mid-major exception to sign PJ Tucker and the six-month exception to sign Danuel House, bringing the team-high salary to about $157 million for the season. Harden’s new deal should leave the 76ers about $2 million in wiggle room under that hard cap, Derek Bodner of The Daily Six reports on Twitter. According to Charania (Twitter link), Harden’s close relationships with key figures in the Sixers organization, including president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and minority owner Michael Rubin (who is selling his stake in the franchise but is expected to remain involved) , were significant. factors for building trust between the two sides during negotiations. There was a feeling after Harden declined his option that he would be rewarded with a long-term contract that would give him more total guaranteed money, but the one-plus-one structure will give him the opportunity to opt out and sign a new salary cap contract next summer . It will also give him veto power over any transaction during the 2022/23 season. Harden, who was traded from Brooklyn to Philadelphia midway through the 2021-22 season, had a subpar year and was hampered by a hamstring injury. The 10-time All-Star finished the season with 22.0 PPG, 10.3 APG and 7.7 RPG on .410/.330/.877 shooting in 65 total games (37.2 MPG) for the Nets and Sixers. Charania reported last week that the former MVP has resumed his workout and on-court schedule much earlier than usual this season and has informed Sixers officials that he is focused on winning a championship in 2023.
