"$40M per year he better win a championship"- NBA fans stunned as James Harden secures massive $81.5 million return to Clippers

According to NBA insider Shams Charania, James Harden will opt out of his $36.3 million player option to re-sign with the LA Clippers. The former MVP “intends to sign a new two-year, $81.5 million contract” with a player option in the second. Harden’s deal puts him in the same timeline as fellow Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard, who is in the books for $100.3 million, per Spotrac.

Fans promptly reacted to Harden’s new deal with the Clippers:

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James Harden played a key role in the LA Clippers’ surprisingly strong regular season. With Kawhi Leonard recovering from a knee injury, The Beard carried the team in the first few months of the season.

For his efforts, NBA coaches gave Harden an All-Star nod. He finished last season with 22.8 points, 5.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Harden also earned an All-NBA third-team honor, his first since 2020.

James Harden’s heavy lifting in the regular season resulted in a 50-32 record for the LA Clippers. As the fifth-seeded team in the playoffs, they gave the fourth-ranked Denver Nuggets a big scare before going down in seven games.

Harden has also been durable since arriving in LA. He played in 151 of 164 games, his most in two years since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons with the Houston Rockets when he went 163-for-164.

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James Harden helped Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac to career-best numbers last season

More than just individual All-Star play, James Harden made his teammates better, likely a big reason for the hefty new contract. Norman Powell, a consistent beneficiary of Harden's passes, averaged a career-best 21.8 ppg. In two years playing with The Beard, Powell has averaged 17.4 ppg and shot 48.5%, including 42.6% from deep, easily the best stretch in his career.

Ivica Zubac also improved last season. The Croatian averaged 16.8 ppg, a big leap from his 11.7 ppg a year ago. Zubac's contributions on offense helped earn him votes for the Most Improved Player of the Year award, an honor that went to Atlanta's Dyson Daniels.

The Clippers are counting on Harden to sustain his excellent form and help carry the team to another potential playoff appearance.

Edited by Michael Macasero