James Harden, Rockets agree to four-year, $118 million extension

Houston locks up Harden for the rest of his prime

As if there was any question that the Rockets believe in James Harden, they just made it even more clearer. Solidifying Harden's place as their franchise superstar, the Rockets announced on Saturday that they've given Harden a four-year, $118 million contract extension.

"I'm happy to be here for four more years," Harden told reporters on Saturday. "This is home for me."

Harden is the franchise star in Houston and since they have the cap space, this is not that surprising a move by the Rockets, who can now count on having Harden through his prime to build around. For Harden, this contract will allow him to be a free agent when he turns 30, which means he can likely land one more big deal in his career.

The Rockets made it a point to build around Harden this offseason. They let Dwight Howard leave in free agency and then agreed to sign shooters Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon to space the floor for Harden's playmaking and ease some of his scoring burden. It should help Houston, which was a terribly disappointing team last year. The pressure is always on for superstars to lead their teams. This extension only reinforces that Harden has to be the man to lead the Rockets.