“James Harden took that big a** pay cut bcuz he knows he ain’t that ni**a no more”, “Brother you couldn’t have f**king done this in 2012” – Fans ruthless in mockery as Philly star takes $15m pay cut
Philadelphia 76ers superstar James Harden will return to the team in free agency. The former MVP took a $15 million pay cut to bolster his team’s chances of building a competitive roster around him and Joel Embiid.
The Sixers have already acquired one of the most coveted veteran players, PJ Tucker, in a lucrative three-year $30 million deal. Meanwhile, Tyrese Maxey will be eligible to sign an extension at the end of the season.
James Harden is taking a $15M paycut next season with “sole focus” on a title run with the Sixers, per @ShamsCharaniaHarden opted out of his $47M player option, giving Philly roster flexibility, and now plans to sign a new two-year deal with a player option in his second year https://t.co/3JobqmCNs8
Harden had an underwhelming debut season with the Philadelphia 76ers after joining them midway through the 2021-22 campaign. He has entered the offseason healthy and will be hoping to get back to his best.
It’s evident that Harden is willing to do whatever it takes to win his first championship this year, and his decision to take a pay cut is a testament to that.
Fans had mixed reactions to Harden’s new contract.
One fan wrote on Twitter:
“James Harden took that big a** pay cut bcuz he knows he ain’t that ni–a no more”
Another fan took a dig at Harden for not taking a pay cut in 2012 with the OKC Thunder, saying:
“Brother you couldn’t have f**king done this in 2012”
Here are some more reactions below:
*James Harden takes a $15 million paycut*The clubs in Philly: https://t.co/ejbQo20BhV
. He’ll take a 15 Million Dollar PayCut to stay with Philly but wouldn’t take a 5 Million Dollar PayCut to stay with KD and Russ@BleacherReport This dude man 😂. He’ll take a 15 Million Dollar PayCut to stay with Philly but wouldn’t take a 5 Million Dollar PayCut to stay with KD and Russ https://t.co/Ryx5sk3OAT
Philadelphia 76ers’ chances of winning the championship depend on James Harden’s performances
The Philadelphia 76ers have failed to get past the conference semifinals since their 2001 NBA Finals appearance. Over the past few years, they’ve had legitimate chances to progress to the conference finals and possibly the NBA Finals.
However, the Sixers have stumbled in their quest to make a deep playoff push. They have always lacked a piece or two that could have made the difference for them.
During the 2021 playoffs, Philadelphia didn’t have a legitimate scoring option behind Joel Embiid.
Last season, James Harden failed to replicate his success as a scorer. The 2018 league MVP hasn’t looked the same since his hamstring injury in the 2021 playoffs.
The Sixers signed him in a blockbuster trade in exchange for Ben Simmons, hoping he could take the pressure off Embiid, especially scoring-wise. However, that wasn’t the case.
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The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired a proven veteran in PJ Tucker this offseason. Tucker compensates for the departures of defensive-minded players like Danny Green and Ben Simmons. His perimeter shooting also covers up Matisse Thybulle’s shortcomings offensively.
However, the Sixers’ hopes of being successful hinges on how well Harden performs. If he can thrive as a legitimate scoring threat, it will open up the floor for Embiid to be even more impactful.
The team will also have an entire season with Harden this time around, so it will be interesting to see how far they go.
