Terrible take... He definitely could've gotten 3-4 years and more guaranteed money. It's obvious he's expecting a big bounce season or return to preinjury form and is banking on signing a larger extension deal which is why it's only 2 years with a player option.
Exactly this seems pretty obvious because it's only 2 years with an option... It seems he's banking on having a big season and that last season was an anomaly because of the nagging hammy issues and not being healthy because of the offseason of rehab.
We saw him after a similar situation in 2018 after the hammy.... He struggled to be consistent and play at the same level in 19 after an offseason of rehabbing.... He returned to form in OKC. Also CP is 5 years older.... Smart money would expect a statistical bounce back for Harden this season... probably to around his BKN numbers in 20-21.
I noticed that anytime Curry started playing poorly, the Warriors and Curry always made sure the public and media think it's because he's hurt or injured. They always made it a point to protect their players from criticism by putting it out there, whether it was true or not. Their PR game is top notch. Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, etc. did the same. The Rockets..Harden's inner circle/team never really did that. He never got the same slack other star players get when it comes to injuries negatively affecting their play because he hardly ever disclosed it or made it a point. I'm not excusing all his poor play in big playoff moments, but I remember it was hardly mentioned when he played through an injured hand/shoulder even though it was at times obvious to Rockets fans but not made public. He wanted to "tough it out" and keep it a secret. His "PR game" has always been pretty bad.
Fair enough All we know for sure is he turned down $47M guaranteed for more money over 2 years I never saw the second place offer to what he accepted from PHI ... did you?
Exactly right His 'sacrifice' netted him more money than he was getting anywhere else this season, with the extra insurance of another year in case he gets hurt this year Just smart business, not born-again team leadership
I would take Harris over Gordon at this point and time he is the younger healthier guy and the Rockets will probably buy him out at some point.
Harris is making 40 mill in 23-24 EG is making 20 mill completely NG, therefore is effectively expiring if we choose to waive him. Harris isn’t worth 40 mill and isn’t needed on the team.
Terrible take. We all saw how he flamed out in the playoffs, and we all saw how he forced his way out of Houston and then Brooklyn. Why would any team make a big 4 year commitment to him?
I agree he is definitely not worth the money but if you wanted me to pick a guy on ability alone at this point in time I am taking Harris. I disagree that he is not needed on the team they need his size and scoring, he is already a sunk cost and it does nothing to the cap to get rid of him. Harris is also not as much of a health risk which factors into my thinking a lot.
Because perhaps... Wait for it... Maybe the hamstring and lack of a real offseason did actually lead to the first relatively down season he's had in a decade.... And this contract he signed with the option is clearly him betting on that in mind... If you think that this contract that Harden is signing is the biggest he'll get for the rest of his career, then stay tuned to be proven wrong.
All reports are that he was going to re-sign on a 3-4 year deal north of 100+ million that was even before the opt out and after... He easily could've commanded more guaranteed money than this 2 year deal right now if that was his primary focus or you simply don't know what players are getting for even less than his level of production in the league right now.... He's also still only 32... It's clear Morey didn't just make that trade for Harden to sign him or offer him what essentially amounts to a one year deal. It's obvious that because it's a 2 year w/option that he's banking on balling out this season and commanding an even bigger contract in the 2nd year. Morey made moves to sign former Rockets who've played with Harden to fill out the roster. And we know Harden and Morey are closer than any GM and player in the league and he just signed his boy PJ to a 3yr/33million guaranteed at 37 years old. After next season Harden will be 33 before the option yr. He doesn't want to go elsewhere... He wants to be in Philly and he wants to win.... Morey is his guy and there's been obvious "tampering" technically going on lol but the league isn't gonna do anything about it. Morey didn't do this trade and the subsequent signings to have him for one season... It's clear what Morey is attempting to build. The intention was obviously to sign him for more years and more money and for Harden's production he could've commanded more than that... He took a paycut now to allow for those signings to make the team better and is almost certainly planning to opt out in year 2 and sign a bigger deal than the one he's signing right now. Just bump this when I'm clearly right(I am) or if I'm proven wrong.
His player option is insurance in case he has another terrible year. I like how you ignored the part about him forcing a trade from the Rockets and then the Nets. Given that, why would any team want to make a big investment in him? I'll stay tuned for your answer.
You didn't answer anything. The truth is, no other GM would make a big commitment to Harden, and even Morey wasn't willing to make one. That's why he's making Harden prove himself.
No, you didn't answer. You just made a blanket statement that Harden "easily could've commanded more guaranteed money". That doesn't prove anything, and it's illogical. You keep ignoring that Harden has a track record of forcing trades. Given that, why are you so certain that Harden could've received better offers? My take is extremely reasonable. Do you know why? Because it's supported by actual events. A 2 year contract with a player option in the 2nd year serves only to protect Harden in case he has another garbage season. If he wanted to maximize his earnings and was confident in his ability, he would've opted in and then signed a big contract in free agency.
I didn't just make some blanket statement I literally explained why that is and explained how in everything I mentioned regarding Morey and the moves he's been making, but of course you would ignore that too. You essentially are claiming this is the biggest contract Harden will sign for the rest of his career. Your take isn't supported by any more evidence than mine... It's speculation with even less evidence... You also fail immediately with this claim that Harden just wants to maximize his earnings primarily. The evidence points to him wanting to win now.... Which is why he left Houston and ultimately why he left BKN... So if Harden wants to be in Philly and wants to maximize his chances to win now(a more reasonable claim based on the evidence) then taking a paycut this season for his most trusted GM to go sign some of his former teammates to play with him and add depth to their rotation is something he would do and signing a 2 yr deal with an option also allows him to increase his potential future earnings in his next deal at the same time... Saying the 2nd year option serves to only help Harden if he has a garbage season is flawed.... He wouldn't need the option for that as a simply guaranteed two year deal(with no options) would do that. The option allows him to opt out and then sign a bigger deal.
You didn't explain anything. If you think you did, copy and paste your answer. This is a bad take because we don't know how the salary cap will change from year to year. I simply pointed out that you misinterpreted the nature of his contract. Your speculation has zero evidence. Where's your proof that he could've gotten a bigger contract? My speculation is based on actual events. He did force trades from Brooklyn and Houston. He did sign a contract with a 2nd year player option. He did play poorly last year. You know what fails? Your reading comprehension fails. Harden has never been about winning. That's why he's gotten in worse shape with each passing year, and that's why he's feuded with so many star teammates. How is it flawed? He'd only exercise the option if he had a garbage season. In other words, the 2nd year option serves to only help Harden if he has a garbage season. Does that make it clearer?
