The most high-profile player eligible for a contract extension before Oct. 31 is the Thunder’s James Harden. He’s a playmaker and scorer who’s been vital to the team’s success, and took home the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award just last season. But he’s looking for a max contract, and the Thunder are looking to avoid luxury tax penalties, so the negotiations drag on.
Thunder GM Sam Presti and Harden’s agent Rob Pelinka have been in recent talks, but the sides are still apart on a deal. According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the latest offer came in about $8 million short.
Harden, 23, recently turned down a four-year offer worth about $52 million, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Harden, last season’s Sixth Man of the Year, has been pushing for a maximum contract extension of four years, $60 million.
Nevertheless, the fact the two sides are still negotiating suggests there could be a deal to be made somewhere between the Thunder’s latest offer and Harden’s desire for a max contract.
Harden has said he wants to stay with the Thunder, but a player with his talent deserves a max contract, and it appears that he knows it. If no deal is reached by Wednesday’s deadline, Harden will become a restricted free agent on July 1, where he’ll almost certainly receive that max offer from someone else. The Thunder will have the right to match, of course, so even if a deal doesn’t get done, the possibility that Harden could stay with the team remains.
Kurt Helin broke down the ins and outs of the situation between Harden and the Thunder in greater detail, so give that a read and let us know if you think Harden will indeed be back playing for Oklahoma City for the start of the 2013-14 season.
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