The Oklahoma City Thunder are still working on a contract extension to keep James Harden, last season's Sixth Man of the Year award winner, in Oklahoma City, according to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
According to the report, Harden turned down a prospective extension recently that would have paid him somewhere around $52 million. Harden and his agent are reportedly seeking a maximum extension of $60 million over four years. The Oklahoma City front office is reportedly trying to ink Harden to a contract filled with incentive clauses which could bring the value closer to his desired amount.
The deadline for Harden to sign a contract extension in Wednesday at midnight. If his agent and the Oklahoma City front office cannot come to a deal by then, he will become a restricted free agent next summer.
If he becomes a free agent, the 23-year-old Harden could command a maximum deal and would likely find interest from a number of teams.
Harden is about to enter his fourth season in the NBA after being drafted third overall by the Thunder out of Arizona State in 2009. His numbers have risen each season in the league and last year he averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game as the Thunder advanced to the NBA Finals.