According to Shams, Spurs star Fox has agreed to sign a four-year maximum salary renewal contract with the team

According to Shams, Spurs star Fox has agreed to sign a four-year, $229 million maximum salary renewal with the team. The contract will keep Fox at the Spurs until the end of the 2029-30 season. Last season, Fox joined the Spurs through a three-party trade and played 17 games, averaging 34 minutes per game and contributing 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.5 steals. In the past six seasons, he averaged 20 points, 5 assists and 1 steal per game, and he can compete with Doncic in the league. Since entering the NBA in the 17-18 season, Fox has scored a total of 10,000 points, 3,000 assists and 700 steals, becoming one of the four players to achieve this achievement. At the same time, with the completion of this maximum salary contract, Fox's total career salary reached US$416 million, surpassing Paul's 404 million, ranking 19th on the NBA's historical salary list.

When Fox signed a four-year, 229 million new contract with the Spurs, the entire league was shocked. This sky-high contract undoubtedly pushes Fox into the ranks of top-paid players in the league and also heralds the grand blueprint surrounding the Spurs in the next few years. At this time, Harden, who was far away in Los Angeles, might have mixed feelings.

Reviewing Harden's performance in the 2024-2025 season is remarkable. In the regular season, he averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, and his three-point shooting percentage reached 35.2%. His organizational tandem ability allows the Clippers' offense to run smoothly. At a difficult time when Leonard missed most of the regular season due to injury, Harden carried the team alone and led the Clippers to rank fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 50 wins and 32 losses, successfully entering the playoffs. In the playoffs, although the Clippers eventually lost to the Nuggets in the first round tiebreak, Harden still averaged 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. His performance has been widely recognized and he was selected into the NBA All-NBA three-team.

However, in the offseason renewal negotiations, Harden failed to get a shocking big contract like Fox did. He reached a two-year contract extension with the Clippers with a total value of $81.5 million. Although the salary has increased compared to the previous contract, Harden had the opportunity to ask for a higher maximum salary. The structure of this contract is also quite special. The starting salary for the 2025-26 season is US$39.2 million, while the player options for the 2026-27 season are only partially guaranteed, and the amount of guarantee is low. Compared with Fox's 4-year 229 million yuan, Harden's contract seems a bit shabby, and no wonder some people joked that Harden regretted his intestines.

However, Harden's salary cut has brought many benefits to the Clippers, which are mainly reflected in the following three key aspects:

First, the Clippers' salary space is flexible, and the signings have more advantages: Harden takes the initiative to cut salary, allowing the Clippers to fully use the middle-class special case worth $14.1 million. This move is a masterpiece, directly helping the team successfully sign key insider Brooke Lopez in the free agent market. As an experienced center, Lopez's arrival not only strengthens the Clippers' inside strength, but also opens up space on the offensive end, complementing the team's outside offense. The Clippers also successfully signed Bradley Bill with this salary space. As an All-Star scorer, Bill has a stable offensive output. His joining has greatly improved the Clippers' outside firepower, making the team's offensive choices more diverse in the new season.

Second, Harden's recruitment ability is highlighted to enhance the team's cohesion: Harden has a high influence and personal charm in the league, and his salary cut decision sends a strong signal to other players--the Clippers are a team that really desires to win the championship, and here, victory is the primary goal. This signal attracted the attention of many powerful players. Harden played an important role in Bill's recruitment process. He had in-depth conversations with Bill and finally successfully convinced Bill to join the Clippers with a 2-year, $10.6 million contract. Harden's salary cut has greatly improved the team's lineup, and has also enhanced the team's cohesion and centripetal force, making his teammates trust him more and unite around him.

Third, the Clippers' tactical adjustment space has increased, and the team's tactics are richer: due to the salary flexibility brought by Harden's salary cut, the Clippers have more room for tactical adjustment. Teams can formulate more diverse tactical systems based on the characteristics of different opponents. Harden's organizational ability and passing vision on the court allow him to better allocate his teammates and stimulate the maximum potential of every player. For example, when facing teams with strong inside strength, Harden can make more use of the outside three-pointers tactics, and through cooperation with players such as Lopez and Bill, he can give his opponent a fatal blow to the outside; and when facing teams with strong outside defense, Harden can use his breakthrough ability to tear open the opponent's defense and create more offensive opportunities for inside players. Looking forward to the new season, the league structure has undergone tremendous changes, and many teams have shown strong championship strength. After the Spurs got Fox, their strength increased greatly. With the growth of Wenban Yama, the stable Spurs are expected to rise next season and become another strong team in the West. Among the many popular teams to compete for the championship, the four teams, Thunder, Rockets, Lakers and Nuggets, have attracted much attention.

As the defending champion, the Thunder retained the core frameworks of Alexander, Homegren and Jaylen Williams. The team's lineup depth and defensive efficiency are still excellent. The continuous evolution of the young core has made them firmly ranked as the top favorite in the championship. The Rockets got Durant, and the inside line formed by Shin Kyung, Smith and Capela was effectively solved. Once the chemistry went smoothly, it would definitely become a dark horse in the playoffs.. The Lakers signed Ayton, and although the problem of weak inside line has not been completely solved, the combination of James and Doncic is still highly competitive. The Nuggets have made reasonable optimizations in the lineup. Porter Jr. replaced Johnson, signed Bruce Brown back and won Hardaway Jr. for a basic salary. The operation is a model of cost reduction and efficiency improvement. Jokic is in the inside line, and the team has been upgraded in depth and is still a strong contender for the championship.

Compared with these five teams, the Clippers do have certain disadvantages in lineup depth. The Clippers' deal for sending Powell away for Collins was controversial. Powell averaged 21.8 points per game, and his departure reduced the team's scoring ability. It will take time for Collins to integrate, and it remains to be seen whether he can play the greatest value in the Clippers' tactical system. Although the combination of Harden and Leonard is strong, the potential for injury to both of them is always the sword of Damocles hanging over the team's head. Once the core player is injured, the strength of the Clippers will be greatly reduced. In the fierce playoff competition, it may be difficult for the Clippers, composed of veterans, to compete with other popular teams for the championship.

Harden's salary cut has brought the Clippers an opportunity to strengthen the team, allowing the team to still have the ability to win the championship in the new season. But under the new league pattern, the challenges faced by the Clippers are still huge. The future of Harden and the Clippers is full of uncertainty. Let's wait and see whether they can stand out among many strong enemies and realize their dream of winning the championship.