“James takes on a tremendous workload for our team, as a playmaker and a scorer, and he does it with consistency and dependability,” said Clippers president Lawrence Frank after Harden inked his new extension. The statement only confirmed what most already knew—James Harden is essential to the Clippers’ success. So when the veteran guard signed a two-year, $81.5 million deal—up significantly from his previous $68.6 million contract—no one was surprised. The price tag simply matched the value Harden brings, night in and night out, to a team still chasing its first title.

Given the news, you’d think James Harden would be on top of the world—but if he is, he’s keeping it lowkey. After the extension was announced, he simply posted a crossed fingers emoji on his Instagram story—no caption, no celebration, just a subtle nod to the grind ahead.

According to reports, the deal also includes a $13.3 million partial guarantee if Harden picks up his player option for the 2026-27 season, proof of both the Clippers’ belief in him and the calculated structure behind the deal.

James Harden was able to secure this particular contract after declining his $36.3 million contract option for the 2025-26 season. The veteran will turn 36 in August, which, under the terms of the Over-38 rule in the collective bargaining agreement, forbids the player from signing on for more than three years. Therefore, the Clippers continue giving the player the option to exit the team by the end of the first season if he wishes to. While Harden himself has not indicated taking a retirement anytime soon, the clause ensures he has a proper amount to take after concluding what can be potentially his final year.

As Shams Charania highlighted, “This deal furthers the strong partnership Harden has forged with the Clippers since he arrived. He receives a well-deserved raise while providing the team with flexibility to add talent in the present and future.” The 2-year, $81.5 million deal is not as extravagant as the one held by some of Harden’s other veteran peers like Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, etc, and does not even rank him in the Top 30 of the highest-paid players of the 2025-26 season. However, it is still a flattering raise that helps the team in the process of slowly getting below the salary cap so that they can add more talent to the roster.

If anyone deserves their average salary to go up from $35 million to $40.75 million, then it is James Harden. Especially after what Paul Pierce recently said in praise of the star.

Paul Pierce Claims James Harden Doesn’t Get Enough Credit: “They say Steph, but like James too”

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was a guest on the recent episode of the ‘Podcast P With Paul George’ show. During the segment, he praised the Los Angeles Clippers star man his flowers by highlighting how the new generation of players copy what Harden made look easy. Pierce claimed that James Harden was the trend-setter for foul-baiting, which many, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have now reportedly incorporated into their game. On top of that, his step-back 3s were equally impressive as those of any other star. Therefore, if there is one thing Paul Pierce wants, it is for those talents to start getting some more recognition.

“I don’t think James gets enough credit for changing the game,” said Pierce. “They say Steph, but like James too. A lot of kids is doing his sh**, and people don’t talk about that.”

Pierce added on to his remarks by saying, “You know, they changed a lot of rules because of him. He was the first, what I guess they call, foul merchant. They had to say, ‘Alright. We can’t give him that call no more. He’s too dominant with this. He outsmarting the refs’. Every year, they come back with a new rule. Like ‘Okay, we’re not gonna allow this now’. They was doing that every year with James.”

Young players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might not have gotten inspired if Harden had not found ways to hook defenders’ arms, distract players with his pump fakes, and play in a contact mode that still got him foul calls. He led the NBA in free throws made at one point, ranks 5th overall in made, and 7th overall in attempted. All Pierce wanted was for the same to get recognized. The salary increase is certainly one part of that, but it is certainly not enough. With this pay increase now, James Harden will be entering the 17th year of his NBA career with a different mindset. Will he make a big enough difference to get the team past the first round of the playoffs soon enough? That remains to be seen.