The most eye-catching news in the offseason is that James Harden declined the player option. In fact, when the offseason had just entered, the outside world also commented that Harden, Westbrook , Irving were called The three major contract renewal problems in the NBA world, but not long after, the problems of the three were easily solved by their respective teams.
Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook exercised the player option because he could not reach an agreement with the team to renew his contract. He got the high salary in the last year before talking about other things. Lakers and Nets also acquiesced. This choice.
However, James Harden did something unexpected. Harden, who originally asked for a five-year maximum salary, was also thought to implement the player option, but he did not expect that he resolutely gave up and even had to re-sign for the sake of the championship. Signing a contract with a reduced salary is really respectable.
You must know that we are now in the stage of increasing the salary cap and , and the players' salaries will see a huge increase. Giving up high salaries at this juncture is definitely a difficult decision. According to ESPN reports, multiple sources revealed that the league's 2022 The salary cap for the -23 season is expected to be $123.6 million.
In the 2021-22 season, the league's salary cap is approximately US$112 million, and next season's salary cap will increase by approximately US$11.6 million. For those luxury tax teams that use high salaries to build their teams, such as the Warriors and Clippers , etc., this is excellent news, which means that if they are serious, there is still the possibility of enhancement.
The same is true for the 76ers. Harden decided to cut his salary and the team's salary cap increased. These will help them strengthen the team and get some high-quality contracts. Maybe they will get a good lineup in the new season, but in the end How far they can go is unknown.
Although we know that Harden's salary reduction is for the championship, but considering that Harden will receive almost tens of millions of dollars less every year, is this salary reduction worth it? In other words, does he really have a chance to win the championship?
There is no doubt that Harden has "all in".
Harden's choice may not be the right one.
According to reporter Shams, multiple sources revealed that James Harden refused to exercise the $47.4 million player option for next season. He plans to sign a new contract with the 76ers, and this contract should be equal to the previous contract in terms of amount. There is quite a gap.
It is understood that Harden is entirely to allow the 76ers to have better lineup flexibility in the free agent market. There is no doubt that Harden is a typical sacrifice of his own interests to become a global team.
We must admit that James Harden's move has indeed benefited the team.
It is reported that the 76ers will be able to use the full mid-level exception of $10.3 million and the two-year exception of $4.1 million to sign some players, such as PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, etc., and they will trade players in the free market. The market gets the chance to take them away.
76 people have the opportunity to build a good lineup. Currently, they have four high-quality players-James Harden, Maxi, Embiid and Melton. At least these four players will not participate in the transaction. , the 76ers are trying to form a lineup with them as the core.
In the 2021-22 regular season, Harden averaged 37.2 minutes per game, 22.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 10.3 assists and 1.3 steals;
playoffs averaged 39.9 minutes per game, 18.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 0.8 steals.
Both of these data indicate that Harden has just entered the "lowest point" of his career, especially his performance against the Raptors and Heat in the playoffs. He was even lost in his opponents. In his "muscle jungle", there is no hope of breaking out, and these have become "sharp weapons" for the outside world to attack him.
James Harden himself seems to think that he can't go back to the past. He even said in interviews that he is too different from his peak self in Rockets , but the expectations of outside fans are real. Yes, Embiid and Reeves have emphasized more than once that they hope he can play in style.
Harden like this makes people feel a little sad. When he was with the Rockets, he could have signed a huge five-year maximum salary contract, but he came to the Nets for the championship. After encountering a series of problems, he came to the Nets again for the championship. 76ers , but unfortunately he lost his halo due to the decline in strength.
Today's Harden is no longer the first-line star that all teams want to offer the maximum salary. He is currently positioned as a qualified star point guard, and even in his future career, the amount of his annual contract salary may be higher. It won’t be more than 47.4 million.
But he still decided to cut his salary resolutely.
So, will Harden's efforts really pay off?
As of now, Harden has begun to focus on training. He is committed to helping the 76ers win the championship next season. Therefore, he started training in this offseason even earlier than before. "Salary reduction + active training" are enough to illustrate Harden can't wait to win the championship.
However, the league in the new season is exaggeratedly strong - the defending champion Warriors, the Clippers with two forward superstars; the Nuggets where the MVP is located; the Celtics who are making a comeback; the Heat who maintain the lineup, etc. They are all strong enemies for the 76ers on their way to the championship.
In fact, surrounded by heroes, with the combination of "Harden + Maxi + Embiid", the competitiveness is really insufficient. Even if the 76ers signed Tucker, Gordon and other players, they impacted The odds of winning the championship are still 50-50.
So, is Harden’s salary cut really worth it?
Westbrook was "morally kidnapped". In fact, Harden's behavior is not worth promoting.
Currently, Westbrook is also being ridiculed for Harden rejecting the player option, but this is a bit unreasonable. Skip Bayless tweeted: "James Harden declined his player option worth $47.4 million, according to reports He will reach a contract extension with the 76ers that will be more helpful to the team.
And after a disastrous season, Westbrook chose to exercise his $47 million player option. "
As we all know, the 76ers. The team will negotiate a contract extension with Harden. Although the salary is indeed reduced, most of the salary is guaranteed. However, Westbrook is different. The Lakers have no intention of letting him stay with the team. Once he breaks out of the contract, then, The Lakers will simply give up on him.
Moreover, Westbrook's development trend shows a cliff-like decline, Harden's decline is relatively slow, and the two sides will not be players of the same level in the future. It is inappropriate to compare each other, and the "moral kidnapping" is a bit tasteless.
Moreover, Harden's behavior is actually not recommended. Whether it is Wade's salary cut in the Heat or Durant's salary cut in the Warriors, they are all based on the desire to maintain the championship. Honor, but the 76ers are obviously still at the championship level. Surrounded by strong enemies, Harden is likely to lose both men and money.
By then, he will feel even more uncomfortable. Therefore, Harden's behavior is worthy of admiration, but it is not worth promoting.
Now we have to see what players the 76ers can finally sign with Harden's saved salary.
