Houston Rockets, James Harden Agree To Extension

The Houston Rockets made a surprise announcement Saturday, agreeing to a contract extension with shooting guard James Harden.

The Houston Rockets had a press conference Saturday to officially announce the signings of free agent power forward Ryan Anderson and shooting guard Eric Gordon.

That was enough to pique the interest of reports and fans, as the Rockets added some more offensive fire power and floor stretching that will fit well into new head coach Mike D’Antoni‘s system.

"“Ryan and Eric are two players that are perfect for what we need to get back to Rockets basketball and our winning ways,” general manager Daryl Morey said."

But, the most important piece to the puzzle for the Rockets is James Harden, who was a part of some surprising news of his own Saturday.

Following the announcement of those signings, the Rockets had some more news to share, and it came as a surprise to some. Following that press conference, the Rockets announced that they had agreed to a contract extension with Harden.

"“He’ll be around here for a while,” Rocket owner Leslie Alexander said. “I don’t think people appreciate how great he is, but we certainly do.”"

If people didn’t know how much he meant to the Rockets previously, they definitely do now as they paid Harden handsomely.

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Harden had two years remaining on his current contract with the Rockets, but will now be with the team for an extra two seasons.

In addition to the added years, Harden will receive raises in the next two seasons as well, ensuring that he will be a member of the Rockets for the foreseeable future.

The extension will run through the 2019-20 season, and is worth $118 million. Harden’s raises will bring his 2016-17 salary up to $26.5 million and $28.3 million for the 2017-18 season.

The following two seasons, which were the years that were added, will have Harden earning a base salary of $63.1 million combined.

Harden let the extension be known on his personal Twitter account, letting his follower know that Houston is home and that he will be sticking around.

HOUSTON = HOME
Let's Go!!!#Rockets pic.twitter.com/6B8NH7Bp5X
— James Harden (@JHarden13) July 9, 2016

Anderson and Gordon had expressed interest in playing with Harden during the free agent process, and it is hard to blame them.

With the attention that Harden draws, it makes things infinitely easier for his teammates on his teammates, as they will have a number of open shots and opportunities to score the basketball.

They are two of the players that Harden had a part in obtaining, as he was sitting in on the meetings with Anderson and Gordon.

Harden said that he would be active in recruiting free agents, and he did that with those two, but don’t expect him to stop there judging from what he said.

"“Ever since I stepped foot in Houston, there’s been nothing but love and support from Les and (GM) Daryl Morey and the front office. It’s truly like a home to me. I’m happy to be here another four years and a lot of great things are going to happen. It’s been progress, it’s been a buildup and the addition of our new signings and a couple of other pieces, some really good things are going to happen next year.”"

Harden also added, “This is home for me. Whatever it takes we try to build and find ways to get better and that’s my focus and that’s my priority.”

The signings of Anderson and Gordon are a good step in the right direction for the Rockets, as they will both fit in well under D’Antoni. Anderson is an elite stretch four, and will shore up the power forward spot the Rockets struggled mightily to fill last season.

Gordon gives them a strong sixth man off the bench backing up Harden and another legitimate scoring option to turn to.

Everything still revolves around Harden though, who despite the Rockets struggles last season, proved he is one of the top players in the NBA.

While he gets dogged on social media and by analysts for his efforts defensively, he is an elite offensive player that does everything for his team and shows up night in and night out.

Harden played in every game for the Rockets last season, averaging an NBA high 38.1 minutes per game. He did plenty of damage in those 38.1 minutes, averaging 29 points, 7.5 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.

The points, rebounds and assists were all career-highs for Harden, who stuffed the stat sheet without much consistent help from his teammates last season.

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With an offensive minded coach such as D’Antoni now running the show, expect Harden to potentially reach some new career highs, as he will have an upgraded roster around him as well.

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