On July 1, Beijing time, the famous reporter Shams reported on social media that Harden decided to stay with the Clippers and complete a contract extension with the team for 2 years and 70 million!
Judging from the content of the report, Harden signed a "1+1" short-term contract, and will have a player option in his second season, and he can choose to jump out of the contract and become a free agent again next summer. Perhaps, such a decision is inseparable from George's departure, and signing a long-term contract will obviously limit Harden's development, after all, he still wants to win a championship in his career. In other words, if the Clippers don't have a good record in the new season and miss out on the championship again, then Harden is likely to leave here and look for a new home to pursue the championship again.
In the 23-24 season, Harden played 72 regular season games for the Clippers, averaging 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game, shooting 42.8% from the field, 38.1% from three-point range, and 87.8% from the free throw line. In the playoffs, Harden's stats changed to 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8 assists per game, and he was eliminated by the Mavericks 2-4 in the first round matchup. However, the blame for the Clippers' loss this season is not on Harden, but on the not-so-healthy physical condition of the star Leonard.
At this point, Harden still has one season to continue to team up with Wei Shao and Leonard to win the championship, and it is difficult to say whether he will stay with the team in the second season.
Throughout Harden's entire career, he was drafted by the Thunder as a prospect with the third pick in the first round in 2009, and then quickly grew into the team's sixth man; After being traded to the Rockets, he also grew into the league's leading scorer and MVP, and played the pinnacle of his career in Houston. Not only that, but in 2018 and 2019, it caused a lot of trouble for the Warriors dynasty, and that was also an opportunity for Harden to get closer to the championship. But his opponent was too strong, and then Harden chose to join the Nets and became teammates with Irving and Durant.
The Big Three Nets are still stuck with injuries, plus Irving, Nash and other factors, this super team soon disbanded, and Harden left here to switch to the 76ers; Soon after teaming up with Embiid and Maxey, the 76ers still couldn't make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and Harden requested a trade for the Clippers.
Now, the 34-year-old Harden is still fighting for a championship, will he still have a chance to win the championship next season? We'll see.