Harden stays with Clippers, Love with Heat, AP sources say

James Harden is staying with the Los Angeles Clippers on a two-year contract that includes a player option, a person familiar with the decision said Sunday as free agency officially began in the NBA.

Harden’s contract – which could be worth as much as $70 million if he opts in for 2025-26 – was agreed to in principle before free agency technically began, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither Harden nor the Clippers had announced the agreement.

Changes to league rules this year allowed such agreements to take effect before the start of free agency on Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time; in most cases, teams were allowed to talk to their own free agents or contract-extension-eligible players after the conclusion of the NBA Finals.

Harden, a 10-time NBA All-Star, averaged 16.6 points and 8.5 assists last season for the Clippers, who will move into their new home stadium, the Intuit Dome, at the start of next season. Harden’s status was one of the big questions facing the Clippers this summer; the other revolves around nine-time All-Star Paul George, who did not exercise his $48.8 million option for this season and is now a free agent – Philadelphia, Orlando and the Clippers are among the teams expected to compete for him.

George was expected to face at least some of those teams on Sunday night.

Other trains on Sunday:

— Kevin Love has agreed to a new contract with the Miami Heat, a person familiar with the deal told AP. The move came a day after he did not opt ​​into a $4 million contract for next season with the club. Love had said repeatedly last season that he had no intention of leaving Miami.

— Obi Toppin will be handsomely rewarded for his strong first season with Indiana. A person familiar with the agreement said he and the Pacers are inking a four-year deal worth nearly $60 million. Toppin averaged a career-high 10.3 points last season, his first with Indiana after three years in New York.

— Guard Chris Paul was released by the Golden State Warriors, who otherwise would have had to pay him $30 million for the upcoming season. Paul, 39, averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists in 58 games with the Warriors last season. He will look to join a third team within 14 months after spending 2022-23 with Phoenix and last season with Golden State.

— Promising winger Max Christie returns to the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $32 million contract, a person familiar with the deal told AP. Christie, 21, averaged 3.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.8 assists in his first two NBA seasons.

— The NBA set the salary cap for the 2024-25 season at $140.588 million, which is slightly less — about $400,000 — than teams were told. The tax cap was set at $170.814 million, the first cap is $178.132 million, the second cap is $188.931 million, the median cap for non-taxpayers is $12.822 million, the median cap for taxpayers is $5.168 million and the median cap for the lower cap is $7.983 million.

___

AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed.

___

NBA players: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA