The Brooklyn Nets will not accept offers for star guard James Harden due to Harden’s repeated insistence that he wants to win a championship with the Nets, sources say. ESPN.

Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks are backed not only by Harden’s decision, but also by public and private statements by Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving that the three make the Nets a formidable team when they play together.

Once Durant returns to the starting line-up in February after a sprain in his inner side, the Nets are expected to have enough window to prove their worth again this season. Irving remains restricted by a New York City order banning unvaccinated players from playing at home.

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the teams that are reportedly interested in making a deal for Harden, although no official offers have been submitted yet.

Harden, 32, did not sign an extension during preparation, pushing for a move to the summer of 2022. To stay with the Nets on a long-term contract, Harden could opt for his $ 47.4 million 2022 contract. -23 and sign a four-year extension of $ 223 million when the free agent market opens. Harden would have earned $ 61.7 million in the final year of the deal, becoming the first player to surpass $ 60 million in a single season.

Harden could leave the 2022-23 season to become a free agent and sign elsewhere, or the Nets could agree to a sign-up deal where Harden goes to the final year of his contract with the intention of signing a contract. in office with his new team in 2023.

The Nets acquired Harden in a four-team exchange in January 2021. Harden has averaged 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Nets this season. He was the most valuable player in the NBA in 2018 and was invited to the All-Star Game nine times and was named to the first All-Star team of the league six times.