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James Harden Contract Details Revealed

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Dunn | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 12:38 AM ET

James Harden isn't slowing down. Father Time surely forgot to tell offensive dynamo that 2024-25 was his age 35 season. Leading the charge for the Los Angeles Clippers, the future Hall of Famer earn an 11th NBA All-Star nod and an eighth All-NBA Team.

However, the dog days of summer came with one major question: would Harden exercise the player option in his contract for the following season, renegotiate terms with the Clips, or pull a 180 and find an entirely new home?

Ahead of the official start of the NBA offseason period, we got our answer. ESPN's Shams Charania was first to report that Harden had declined his $36.3 million player option and signed a new multiyear deal to stay in LA.

One that will see his career NBA earnings soar past the $450 million mark. Yes, go ahead and read that again.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer at the details behind the Clippers’ latest big-time James Harden contract.

James Harden Contract Details & Salary

All dollar figures via Spotrac.

Years: 2
Total value: $81,500,000
Average annual value: $40,750,000
Free agency: 2027

Harden, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft out of USC, is currently the fifth-highest on-court earner in league history. Notably, every player ranked ahead of him -- Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James -- is older than he is.

Expect "The Beard" to keep banking millions for a good while longer.

In 2024-25, Harden averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists on 41% shooting from the field. The Clippers posted a 50-32 record, good for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference in their fifth season under coach Tyronn Lue, but fell to the Denver Nuggets in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.