James Harden signed the largest deal in NBA history with the Houston Rockets this offseason, a deal that will net the superstar guard $228M through 2023. Even after that deal is up, Harden doesn’t plan on changing teams, he tells ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
“I know where home is,” said Harden, an All-Star all five of his seasons in Houston. “I know where I want to be. I know where I want to retire ultimately and where I want to win a championship. Everything is going to happen here in Houston, and that’s the reason I’m here forever.”
Harden also discussed his new backcourt-mate Chris Paul:
“I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything like this before,” Harden said of his partnership with Paul, pairing two of the NBA’s premier playmakers in a backcourt. “Two guys that can create and facilitate and do things with the ball that nobody’s done from the [point guard] and shooting guard position. It’s going to be fun.”
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Harden said he firmly believes that the addition of Paul gives Houston immediate championship hope.
“For sure,” Harden said. “We added a Hall of Famer, a guy whose IQ is probably one of the best to ever do it, his passing ability. Defensively, he’s a beast. It just brings so much to our team that we didn’t really have. Adding him to help other guys, to help guys like Clint [Capela], it makes our team that much better. Going to compete [for] a championship against a team like Golden State, the defending champions, you have to have that ability on the court to give yourselves a chance.”
Harden, 27, averaged 29.1 points, 8.1 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game last season, and was runner-up to Russell Westbrook for MVP.