June 30, 2024, 7:00 PM ET
Sources told ESPN that the Clippers and James Harden have agreed to a two-year, $70 million contract.
James Harden has agreed to remain with the LA Clippers on a two-year, $70 million contract, league sources revealed to ESPN on Sunday.
Sources told ESPN that the Clippers and James Harden (pictured) have agreed to a two-year, $70 million contract. Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
The Clippers and Harden wasted little time reaching an agreement, as All-Star free agent Paul George’s future with the team remained uncertain. George was scheduled to meet with the Clippers, Sixers and Magic starting Sunday night, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Clippers acquired Harden in late October and after a slow start, the point guard helped the Clippers go from a 3-7 start to briefly atop the Western Conference standings at 34-15 early. of February.
Harden, a Los Angeles native, repeatedly expressed throughout the season how happy he was playing at home. The point guard, who turns 35 in August, averaged 16.6 points and 8.5 assists in 72 games for the Clippers last season.
“We think James has been great for us when we acquired him five games into the season,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, said last Thursday. “I thought he had a great season…he’s been great even in terms of the offseason, coming in, training, coming in two days, doing extra work.”
Harden forced a trade to Los Angeles after a very public fight with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey over Harden’s contract situation last summer. It was Harden’s third managerial change in less than three calendar years following his long stint with the Houston Rockets, where he became MVP and helped revolutionize the way offense is played in the NBA.
While he’s no longer putting up big scoring numbers alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Harden proved last season that he’s still a strong pick-and-roll operator and a good 3-point shooter. Harden still ranked second in the NBA in isolation points last season, a nod to his days as a 30-point scorer, but he also attempted 153 catch-and-shoot 3s, his most since 2017-18.
His 72 games played were the most in a season since 2018-19. Harden averaged 21.2 points and 8.0 assists in the Clippers’ first-round loss to the Mavericks when Leonard missed the final three games due to a knee injury.
ESPN Stats & Information and Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.
2024-06-30 23:00:00
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