The guard of the NBA’s Best Quintet James Harden has rejected a lucrative offer from his team, the Houston Rockets, which could have allowed him to become the first player in the history of the American league to earn $ 50 million a year. In this way, he made it clear that he has focused on his move to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Rockets offered a $103 million contract that envisaged establishing the maximum allowable extension of its service in the team—within two years—over the remaining three, under the current $133 million contract.
Both clubs have been negotiating the transfer of the athlete for a while, but so far have failed to engage in a positive dialogue that would make Harden’s determination to join the Brooklyn team a reality.
The Rockets are looking for assets to replace Harden and are willing to be patient to find them in the market. Now, in Houston they see no signs that their rivals are capable of launching an attractive offer that fits the athlete’s profile, sources close to the conversations told Espn.
As long as Harden continues to honor the current contract, the Rockets will have the ability to delay the transfer process, develop other offers and use that time to try to change the athlete’s mind, they said.
In turn, the shooting guard believes that “his window to win championship titles” in Houston is closing, and the best way forward for him is to build a great team with the Brooklyn Nets.
Harden can become a free agent in 2022 if he chooses not to serve the final year of his contract with the current team. His possible union with Brooklyn, according to sources, would represent a kind of two-year term play that he would use to win a title before deciding what the next steps he would take in his career.
The Houston Rockets have long allowed Harden to choose their team members with whom he fit better both on and off the court. In addition, they have agreed that the athlete should engage in “an informal environment” outside the club that “fit his personality”.