What James Harden re-signing with Sixers means

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden have finally agreed on a deal for the 13-year veteran to return. He will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal worth $68.6 million with a player option for year two, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This …

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden have finally agreed on a deal for the 13-year veteran to return. He will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal worth $68.6 million with a player option for year two, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This move could serve as a temporary financial sacrifice from Harden that allows the Sixers to make moves that improve their title odds.

What James Harden re-signing with Sixers means

The Philadelphia 76ers and James Harden have finally agreed on a deal for the 13-year veteran to return. He will re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal worth $68.6 million with a player option for year two, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. This move could serve as a temporary financial sacrifice from Harden that allows the Sixers to make moves that improve their title odds.

Kings’ Donte DiVincenzo reportedly a free agency target for the Boston Celtics

The 25-year-old wing has struggled to stay healthy recently but could be a solid option for wing depth if he can stay on the floor.

The Boston Celtics reportedly have their sights on another young wing to use their $6.4 million mini- midlevel exception (MLE) on for the coming 2022-23 NBA season who last played for the Sacramento Kings, according to the Boston Herald’s Mark Murphy.

Per the Herald reporter, “Donte DiVincenzo, now a free agent after Sacramento decided not to extend a qualifying offer to the talented wing player, is stacking up as another Celtics target.” Wing scorers are evidently the focus for Boston in free agency, should reports that the team has also been interested in TJ Warren and Danilo Gallinari.

Traded to the Kings from the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a four-team trade at the 2022 trade deadline, the 6-foot-4 Villanova product has struggled with injury throughout his career, never playing in more than 66 games in a season and just 42 in 2021-22.

His shooting efficiency was notably poor overall last season as well, though he managed to shoot 36.8% from deep with Sacramento in his final 25 games of the season.

A solid defender with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, DiVincenzo would also help improve depth on that end of the court, though the key element moving forward to the Delaware native being worth the team’s MLE is of course how healthy he will be while on it.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast here.

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As word of a higher salary cap circulate, Boston reportedly plans on ‘spending well into the tax’

Boston and the rest of the NBA may have a little more wiggle room as a result of projected cap figures going up — and they reportedly plan to use it.

The NBA may soon see the expected salary cap for the 2022-23 season rise considerably, with ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reporting it will rise from the previous projection of $112 million to $123.6 million. While the actual number is not quite yet set, the rising salary cap will affect teams around the league.

The Boston Celtics will likely see the value of their mini- mid-level exception (MLE) rise to $6.47 million from prior estimates of around $6.39 million. Over the course of a full three-year MLE contract, that would add close to a quarter of a million dollars, making such a contract just a little more attractive to prospective free agents.

Perhaps more interestingly, the news would lift the luxury tax line by about $1.5 million — and this with more news from MassLive’s Brian Robb that the Celtics are willing to make use of it.

Per Robb’s sources, the team “plans on spending well into the tax” — welcome news to fans who have seen other ball clubs clutch the purse strongs when it comes time to contend.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast here.

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Free agency’s first hours: Live-reaction blog with Yossi Gozlan

Salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan reacts to all the moves at the start of free agency and makes sense of all the moves from a cap perspective.

HoopsHype’s salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan is providing updates and reactions on each major event at the start of free agency.