Clippers Rumors: James Harden’s $5.1M Contract Bonus to Be Voided After 76ers Trade

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James Harden reportedly agreed to void his $5.1 million trade bonus as part of the agreement to send him to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Bobby Marks of ESPN noted Harden would have to decline the option in order for th ematch of the trade to work.

The 76ers traded Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster that sent Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nic Batum, KJ Martin, a protected 2026 first-round pick via the Oklahoma City Thunder, a 2028 unprotected first-round pick, two second-round picks and a 2029 pick swap to Philadelphia, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev were also traded to Los Angeles with Harden.

Agreeing to take a $5.1 million haircut on a deal that was already considered below market speaks to Harden’s desire to exit Philadelphia—and almost certainly his desire to continue playing alongside a friend in Tucker, who has been among his closest confidantes in Houston and Philadelphia.

Harden has seen his value take a precipitous nosedive since he first declined a three-year, $161 million extension with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021. It’s a virtual certainty that Harden has cost himself tens of millions of dollars at this point and potentially into the nine figures if he does not excel with the Clippers.

While the 2018 NBA MVP has made $338.5 million in salary and another fortune in endorsements during his NBA career, the amount of money he’s risked/given up over the last two-plus years is nothing to be sneezed at.

The Clippers buying low on Harden is likely at least partially influenced by the knowledge he’ll need to be on his best behavior to cash in one more time in his career.