Daryl Morey Should Be Reminded of Tim Duncan's Spurs Sacrifices

Daryl Morey praised James Harden's financial sacrifice but should be reminded of Tim Duncan's pay cuts with the San Antonio Spurs.

The Philadelphia 76ers are fully focused on contending for an NBA title with superstars like Joel Embiid and James Harden in the fold. There was a need to add depth to the supporting cast this offseason and Harden's new contract has helped.

Harden took a substantial pay cut and didn't insist on taking a fully guaranteed, $223 million four-year contract. Instead, he will earn $33 million for the 2022-23 season and has a player option of $35.6 million for 2023-24. 

After the 76ers traded for Harden in the midseason blockbuster deal that moved Ben Simmons, many were concerned that Philadelphia would get stuck having to pay Harden the full max on a four-year deal. Harden wasn't looking as sharp as he has been in the past and he's already 33. 

It remains to be seen if Harden will manage to get back to his prior form after recovering from a hamstring injury. Regardless, the 76ers' adjusted financial situation from Harden's sacrifice was integral in them signing P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell.

On a recent episode of ‘The Takeoff with John Clark,’ 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey described Harden’s financial sacrifice as one of the most significant compared to "any star player ever."

“He’s done more I think than maybe any star player’s ever done to take that much less money. We just got Montrezl Harrell. We couldn’t have done that without him taking less money & constantly talking to Trez.”

There are no shortage of other NBA superstars in the past that made significant financial sacrifices. Among them is Tim Duncan, who routinely took less money for the betterment of the San Antonio Spurs' contention efforts. 

Keep in mind the disparity in proportions of contract size on an older Collective Bargaining Agreement for these examples. He went from earning $21 million to $10 million in 2012 then took an $8 million pay cut for the Spurs to avoid the luxury tax in 2015 when they signed LaMarcus Aldridge.

It remains to be seen how unselfish Harden will remain as he plays out the final years of his career. Given how often players tend to switch teams as well, it's not a guarantee that he will even finish his career in Philadelphia either. 

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You can follow Grant Afseth on Twitter at @GrantAfseth.

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