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The Brooklyn Nets’ coaching camp is underway in San Diego, and we’ve obtained a number of tidbits of intel on a possible James Harden contract extension.
The Nets can have till October 18th to work out an extension with the previous league MVP. If they can’t, “The Beard” would doubtless develop into an unrestricted free agent subsequent summer time, the place Brooklyn would face the opportunity of him altering groups and leaving them empty-handed. It doesn’t matter what sorts of assurances have been made, reviews of Harden taking conferences with rival golf equipment could be an enormous concern for Brooklyn if it ever got here to that.
For what it’s price, final August, Nets GM Sean Marks made a fairly daring declaration:
Sean Marks expects Kyrie Irving and James Harden to signal extensions with the Nets alongside Kevin Durant:
“I really feel very assured by the primary day of coaching camp, we’ll be these 3 signed, sealed, and delivered” pic.twitter.com/htipK7laWi
— Nets Movies (@SNYNets) August 11, 2021
Effectively right here we’re and Kevin Durant remains to be the one one signed, sealed truly, and delivered. So what modified? Did Marks encounter some surprising hurdles? Did Harden change his thoughts?
In a media look, Marks nonetheless appeared comparatively assured he might get a deal completed forward of the October deadline.
“We’ve had very constructive conversations with each these guys. And whether or not it’s relations, folks and so forth, I believe it all the time helps to do this stuff in individual,” Nets GM Sean Marks mentioned in a pre-training camp meeting with reporters on Tuesday. “With this being summer time, we’re very cognizant of letting folks have their very own time away earlier than all of us get again into the swing of issues right here. We’re wanting ahead to sitting down with them over the course of the following week, two weeks, and furthering these discussions.”
Harden himself added this truth bomb at media day: “I don’t see myself wherever else, truthfully.”
However we acquired somewhat extra context later within the week, per ESPN’s Malika Andrews:
James Harden, partially, on his contract extension: “I am simply taking my time with it. You understand, I believe over the course of my profession I’ve by no means been a free agent earlier than… I believe this season I simply need to concentrate on profitable the championship.”
Full @SportsCenter dialog: pic.twitter.com/8lQQTYoyyE
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) September 29, 2021
In that interview with Andrews, Harden had this to say:
“I believe in the middle of my profession, I’ve by no means been a free agent earlier than so I’ve all the time simply been loyal and simply signing contract extension and simply being there being there being there, I simply need to take my time with it It’s gonna be very very troublesome to depart right here however and even to depart Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving… I believe this season I simply need to concentrate on profitable a championship and every little thing else will work itself out.”
This doesn’t sound like a participant in any rush to signal a contract.
This sounds extra like a participant who desires to expertise that power and that buzz which comes from being an unrestricted free agent. Keep in mind when the Miami Heat tried to lure free agent Gordon Hayward with a massive street banner? Or when the New York Knicks shot a “Sopranos” scene to attempt to lure LeBron James in 2010?
Harden might expertise all of that and likewise make a record-setting amount of money just by ready till subsequent summer time.
Nonetheless, in a report by Brian Lewis of the New York Post, staff proprietor Joe Tsai claimed that Harden mentioned he desires to retire as a member of the Nets:
“Signing Harden as quickly as attainable would imply inking him by the Oct. 18 deadline, the day earlier than the Nets open the common season in Milwaukee in a rematch of the thrilling seven-game Jap Convention semifinals. He might simply decide up subsequent 12 months’s $47,366,760 participant possibility and tack on one other three years for $161.1 million that will kick in for the 2023-24 marketing campaign.
“If Harden waits till after the season, he might re-sign and shatter the all-time NBA file with an eye-watering $270 million windfall.”
Effectively if you put it that method, it makes somewhat extra sense why everybody has pivoted from “we’re assured we’ll get a deal completed quickly” to “we’re taking a affected person strategy and specializing in profitable a championship” verbiage.
All issues thought of, it’s sounding an increasing number of like James Harden is NOT going to signal his extension forward of October 18th. This isn’t to say that he gained’t. He may. However my present guess could be that he does wait till subsequent summer time. There’s a very actual chance that this time one 12 months from now, Harden has a championship ring, an earth-shattering $270M deal assured (by means of his age 37 season), and some of these enjoyable “Hamptons 5” model free agent tales of his personal.
They will say it’s all about championships and never in regards to the cash. However by ready till subsequent summer time, Harden might take advantage of cash attainable with out costing himself any of the rings.
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