New Houston Rocket James Harden will stay a Rocket after this season after signing a 5-year deal worth nearly $80 million. The max contract was signed just under today’s deadline for fourth-year players. If he hadn’t signed by the deadline he would have entered July’s free agency a restricted free agent. Five days after trading for the shooting guard from Oklahoma City, GM Daryl Morey didn’t let that scenario happen.
Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal, days after reporting that Harden got here because of rejecting a $52 million contract over four years that the Thunder offered. When he balked, he was shipped to Houston for, among several draft picks, Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb.
Update, 4 p.m.: The Houston Chronicle reports the deal is worth $78.6 million, but that Harden “wasn’t concerned” about completing it because he knew it would be done before the deadline.
“I tried not to worry about it,” Harden said. “Even when I was in Oklahoma City trying to get it done, my focus was on just trying to get better and doing my job. My focus is between these lines, trying to better my basketball game. I knew it would get done. I have a game and I’m ready.”
What do you think of the contract?
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