NBA rumor: Kyrie Irving will affect James Harden s next contract with the Clippers

According to rumors, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving's new contract in the NBA free agent market may affect Clippers star James Harden.

Once the NBA free agent market begins later in the offseason, these rumors will surely boil. Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving and Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden appear to be two superstars worth watching. It is reported that the Clippers may take active action in the trading market after they have negotiated Harden's new contract, and the Mavericks are also interested in keeping Irving. But according to Stan Tip's Jack Fischer, one of them could have a significant impact on the other.

Neither James Harden nor Kyrie Irving left their respective teams, they have player options in the Clippers and Mavericks respectively. But as Fischer reports, Irving's new contract could affect the amount Harden eventually receives from the Clippers.

Irving has a player option in the 2025-26 season, worth about $40 million. According to Fischer, the Mavericks hope to use this as the approximate amount of a potential offseason renewal. Irving reportedly hopes to get a higher renewal amount, and there are still questions about whether he can play next season. Irving suffered a cruciate ligament injury in early March.

Harden's player options for next season are worth $36.3 million and must make a decision by June 29. The All-Star guard has performed well this season and has been selected to the NBA All-NBA third team. No matter what agreement Irving and the Mavericks eventually reach, it may become the starting point for Harden's contract with the Clippers.

The Clippers plan to actively find suitable successors for Harden and Kawhi Leonard in the offseason, but they are currently unable to determine the cap space for the two stars.

Last season, Harden played 79 games, the most since playing for the Houston Rockets in 2018-19. In the first round of the playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, shooting 43.6% from the field, 36.4% from three-pointers and 81.8% from free throws.