James Harden has reportedly agreed to a significant pay cut in order to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers and provide the team with more cap space.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reports Harden "is Harden is taking a $15 million pay cut for next season that allowed Philadelphia to elevate roster — with sole focus on a championship run in 2023," according to sources with knowledge of the deal.
Harden opted out of a $47 million player option last month and will now sign a new two-year deal with a player option next offseason, according to Charania.
On June 29, Charania reported Harden planned to decline his option but intended to re-sign with the Sixers as part of a less expensive deal to allow the franchise to have more "financial flexibility to bolster the roster."
"Harden’s sole focus: Win a title in Philadelphia next season," Charania tweeted at the time. "Harden returned to his workout and on-court regimen much sooner than usual this offseason, pouring his full focus on 2022-23 and a championship run."
Harden, 32, averaged 22 points and 10.3 assists during the 2021-22 NBA season, having joined the Sixers after being traded from the Brooklyn Nets for former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons in February.
The Sixers, however, fell short of their high postseason expectations, having lost in the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the fourth time in five years, once again falling short of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Harden was previously acquired by the Nets in a mid-season trade the previous year, following an eight-year tenure with the Houston Rockets as one of the league's brightest stars.
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