81.5 million US dollars in 2 years! No. 1 in the league! Harden is too difficult, he will have to finish the road he chooses while kneeling.

Harden's trip to China ended successfully, with people everywhere he went, and his popularity remained the same as his peak. When talking about the popularity of NBA players in China, NBA legend Horry bluntly said: Kobe ranked first, there is no doubt; Old Ma ranked second because he played in the CBA; next is McGrady and Harden, because they both played in the Rockets, and people there love Yao Ming's Rockets, so they all know McGrady and Harden. That’s right, Harden’s 8-year Rockets time has reached its peak, showing a high level and bringing popularity to full extent. But it is undeniable that Harden's career has no championship and is unsatisfactory. The road ahead is long and there is a long way to go.

During this offseason, Harden rejected the player option worth $36.35 million in the last year and signed a new two-year contract worth $81.5 million with the Clippers. The annual salary for the next season is US$39.18 million, and the player option worth $42.32 million in the 26-27 season. To put it bluntly, the Clippers gave Harden a raise, with an annual salary increase from US$36.35 million to US$39.18 million, an increase of approximately US$3 million. But looking deeper, Harden actually cut his salary. According to US media reports, Harden's contract was only 15 million US dollars guaranteed in the second year. In other words, this contract represents the "two-way" between Harden and the Clippers - the Clippers need a Harden who maintains a high-level version, and Harden also needs to work hard to re-sign the contract next year's offseason.

Harden's salary cut and renewal may have been intentional, or perhaps a helpless move. If we want to trace the root of the story, the key is that Harden is not the perfect stadium leader and winner like James and Curry. He is the winning general in the regular season, but the tragic hero in the playoffs. Take last season for example. Harden played 79 regular season games, averaging 22.8 points + 5.8 rebounds + 8.7 assists + 1.5 steals, leading the Clippers to a record of 50 wins and 32 losses, ranking fifth in the Western Conference; but in the first round of the playoffs, the Clippers lost to the Nuggets 3-4, and Harden's performance was far less eye-catching than the regular season. In the seven games of the playoffs, Harden averaged 18.7 points + 5.4 rebounds + 9.1 assists + 1.3 steals + 1 block per game. More importantly, Harden was invisible in the two deadliest games in the series - the Battle of Tianwang Mountain, Harden made 3 of 9 and scored only 11 points; in the tiebreak battle, Harden made 2 of 8 and scored only 7 points.

This is Harden. He has unparalleled regular season guarantee ability and will also get used to being in the playoffs, making people feel dilemma. There is a statistics showing that Harden's regular season victory contribution value reached 174.7, ranking 16th in NBA history and fourth in the active league, second only to James (271.38), Paul (215.13) and Durant (175.42). But in another statistics, among the players who have not won the championship in the current NBA, Harden played 173 games, ranking first in the league, and the second-ranked star is Harden's new teammate Paul, who "only" played 140 playoffs.

For Harden, he holds many honors such as scoring king, assist king, and MVP, and is only one championship away from becoming a god. This is also the fundamental reason why Harden has always been willing to cut his salary, but Harden's road to winning the championship is still full of thorns. During this offseason, Harden's salary cut and signing short contract paved the way for the Clippers to sign up. The Clippers introduced Paul, Bill and others to build the oldest team in the NBA, aiming at the championship. But what is the result? There are no Clippers in the opening game, and there are no Clippers in the Christmas game, which at least shows that even the NBA officials are not optimistic about the Clippers' prospects. It has to be said that Harden is too difficult. Since leaving the Rockets, Harden has changed teams again and again and again and again, but he has gradually moved away from the

NBA championship! But do good things, don’t ask about your future. This is the path Harden chose himself. No matter how hard he is, he will finish it. Fans, what do you think about this? Let me leave me a comment and discuss it.