Sean Marks, unsurprisingly, is planning on making sure James Harden and Kyrie Irving are with the Brooklyn Nets for the long haul.
And it’s clear what he’ll have to do in order to get that done.
The Brooklyn Nets general manager on Wednesday indicated his desire to sign the two franchise cornerstones to long-term extensions. He took care of the team’s top player, Kevin Durant, earlier this month in an effort to keep the superteam he built together.
Both players will get max deals, and because of the NBA’s salary cap structure, it’s already known what said deals will look like. ESPN NBA analyst Bobby Marks laid out those figures.
Harden and Irving both have player options in their current deals. While their next contracts all but certainly will include those as well, Marks getting extensions done with both players now will allow the Nets to keep all three of their stars under team control for at least a few more years.
The likely reason Harden would take an extension that starts in 2023 is that if he opts in to his deal for next season, he is in line to make a healthy $47.3 million for the 2022-23 campaign, according to Spotrac. Cashing in on that lucrative year, all while positioning himself to make $161 million the following three years, is an understandably shrewd financial decision.
Brooklyn acquired Harden during this past season to complete their loaded roster. The Nets ultimately lost to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference final.
