James Harden has had quite the NBA career. He entered the league as a young pup way back in 2009. After a Sixth Man of the Year award, a MVP, multiple scoring titles and garnering absurd usage rates of 40% with the Houston Rockets, Harden acquiesced to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in his first season in Los Angeles, playing the role of facilitator. Harden averaged 16.6 points and 11.4 field goal attempts, the fewest since his third year in Oklahoma City.
Last year, though, with George in Philadelphia and Leonard still on the mend, Harden returned to elite status. Granted, it wasn’t vintage Rockets Harden, but 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.0 treys per game was pretty, pretty good.
Harden is 35 years old and had a player option for the 2025-26 season, so there was uncertainty for both Harden and the Clippers.
On Sunday, uncertainty was smashed, with the bits cobbled together and thrown into the dumpster.
While Harden did decline his player option, he intends to sign a two-year, $81.5 million contract with the Clippers.
The Clippers finished last season with a 50-32 record, and that was with Leonard playing only 37 games and Norman Powell missing 22 games. With the emergence of Ivica Zubac in the middle, a healthy Powell and Leonard, and Harden orchestrating everything, the Clippers are primed to do damage once again.
That said, the markets aren’t particularly bullish at the moment. The Clippers are at +400 to win the Pacific Division, the third-lowest. The Los Angeles Lakers are the favorite at +145 while the Golden State Warriors are +170.
The Clippers have the eighth-lowest odds to represent the Western Conference in next year’s NBA Finals at +2200.
Finally, the Clippers have the 13th-lowest odds to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy next season.
