James Harden free agency: Clippers to sign veteran star to two-year, $70 million deal, per report

Harden isn't going anywhere, but what about Paul George?

By James Herbert Jun 30, 2024 at 7:26 pm ET• 2 min read

James Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to a two-year, $70 million contract, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. When the deal is official, Harden, who turns 35 in August, will be under contract until the end of the 2025-2026 season, one year before teammate Kawhi Leonard's contract expires. The second season, however, is reportedly a player option, so Harden can hit the market again a year from now if he chooses.

The Clippers acquired Harden early last season in a blockbuster trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. This followed the disintegration of Harden's relationship with Sixers president Daryl Morey, which prompted Harden's decision to pick up his 2023-24 player option -- and demand a trade -- rather than hitting free agency last offseason. This time around, the situation surrounding Harden's next deal was much less fraught. There was no buzz whatsoever about Harden going elsewhere, and the two sides got a deal done right at the beginning of the moratorium. (They could have reached an agreement at any point after the NBA Finals ended, but this still qualifies as early.)

In 72 games for Los Angeles, Harden averaged 16.6 points, 8.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds in 34.3 minutes. His usage rate fell to 20.2%, the lowest it has been since his second season in the NBA, but had a true shooting percentage of 61.2%. Harden is not the force that was he was at his peak, but he's still one of the league's best playmakers.