Harden won only 81.5 million in 2 years in the era of super top salary. Where can he dream of winning the championship with three salary cuts?

When Devin Booker's maximum salary of 320 million yuan in five years shocked the league, and when Ben Kairo and other rookies won nearly 300 million contracts, the 36-year-old Harden signed a "warm contract" with an average annual guarantee of 26.25 million yuan in the free market. This MVP, who once won $44.31 million in a single season, has accumulated a total salary cut of more than $100 million in seven years, becoming the most eye-catching background board in the NBA salary frenzy. When the Phoenix Suns official announced that the contract with an average salary of $72.5 million will soar to 320 million in the next five years when Kohl's Suns renewed his contract with a 2-year, 145 million contract. Thunder even offered Alexander a four-year, 285 million yuan contract, and even second-year student Homgren received a five-year, 250 million yuan promise. In contrast, Harden's two-year contract with the Clippers was only guaranteed by 52.5 million, and it fell to 32 on the league's salary list - this is exactly the most cruel microcosm of the contemporary NBA: the veteran's spirit of sacrifice is being flooded by the torrent of capital.

From the King of Maximum Salary to the salary cut expert

Looking back at 2017, when Harden signed 170 million yuan with the Rockets for four years, he was still the highest salary holder in the league. However, since he took the initiative to cut his salary and stayed at the team in 2020, his salary curve continued to decline: 33 million in 2023 (33rd place), 35.68 million in 2024 (28th place), and 39.18 million in the new season (32nd place). What's even more sad is that there are actually many suitors in the free market this summer: the Rockets are willing to give 120 million in three years, and the Mavericks promise 90 million in two years, but in order to cooperate with the Clippers' reinforcement plan, he chose to make concessions again. The price behind the obsession with the championship is

The tenth-time All-Star, three-time scoring champion, and 75 superstars in history. Harden's only lacks the championship ring in his career. This contract, which includes player options, is essentially a deep binding with Leonard's three-year 153 million contract - after the 2026-27 season, the era of the Clippers' Big Three will usher in its final chapter. ESPN salary expert Max pointed out: "Harden's salary cut squeezed out 14.1 million middle-class exceptions for the Clippers, but with his age, this may be the last big contract. "

When new generations of players sign long-term contracts worth more than 250 million, Harden's story shows the cruel dialectics of professional sports: top talent will eventually lose to time, and the price of championship dreams is becoming more and more expensive in the inflationary salary system. The longest winning streak in the active playoffs (16 consecutive seasons) may be betting on the out-of-reach O'Brien Cup with the last contract.