SAN DIEGO — James Harden hasn’t signed a long-term extension yet but wants to retire in Brooklyn. At least, that’s what Nets owner Joe Tsai told The Post.
Tsai planned to host the entire team at his La Jolla home Thursday night, including Harden. And while it could be an opportune time to talk with the star guard about his contract status, Tsai told The Post whether Harden inks an extension now or after the season, he’s already given his assurances that he plans to retire a Net.
“Yeah, whether or not it’s the season now or later, the way I look at it is he’s already said I want to play and finish my career in Brooklyn: He’s actually said that. And our job is to make sure that he continues to feel that way,” Tsai told The Post. “Obviously, if we win a championship and also have the chance to win multiple championships down the road, that’s going to be even more convincing, more compelling.“The thing is, I just feel that I agree with him that Brooklyn is the best place to be, so there’s really no, no argument there. And as for the timing, I think we just respect his sense of timing and let things play out. Obviously, we are very committed to have him in Brooklyn for the long haul. So, we’ve expressed to him our desire to sign him to extend him as soon as possible.”
Signing Harden as soon as possible would mean inking him by the Oct. 18 deadline, the day before the Nets open the regular season in Milwaukee in a rematch of the thrilling seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals. He could just pick up next year’s $47,366,760 player option and tack on another three years for $161.1 million that would kick in for the 2023-24 campaign.
If Harden waits until after the season, he could re-sign and shatter the all-time NBA record with an eye-watering $270 million windfall. Granted, that’s a longer deal, and one has to consider the wages earned next season, so the like-for-like comparison is really $208 million with greater security versus $270 million with slightly greater risk due to injury.
But considering Kevin Durant in 2019 and Clippers star Kawhi Leonard this past offseason both got max deals despite preexisting long-term injuries, that risk is really minute.
“I don’t worry about it, because I’m very confident that Brooklyn is the place where he wants to be,” Tsai told The Post. “He wants to play with the top players, other guys like KD, Kyrie [Irving], so I don’t worry about it.”