James Harden on taking pay cut to help 76ers build out roster: ‘I want to compete for a championship’
James Harden’s new contract with the Philadelphia 76ers isn’t finalized yet, but it will feature Harden taking a substantial pay cut for the 2022-23 NBA season so the Sixers have additional cap space to fill out the rest of the roster. They’ve used that space to sign P.J. Tucker and Danuel House (both Harden’s former teammates in Houston), along with Trevelin Queen. Plus, there still could be more moves to come. In an interview with Yahoo Sports, Harden explained his motivation behind signing a team-friendly deal.
“I had conversations with [Sixers president of basketball operations] Daryl [Morey], and it was explained how we could get better and what the market value was for certain players,” Harden said. “I told Daryl to improve the roster, sign who we needed to sign and give me whatever is left over. This is how bad I want to win. I want to compete for a championship. That’s all that matters to me at this stage. I’m willing to take less to put us in position to accomplish that.”