James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers has reached a two-year, $68.6 million contract extension with the team, according to ESPN.

Harden previously dropped the final year of his last deal along with the annual salary of $47.4 million. His new contract will pay him $33 million in the first year and $35.6 million in the second, if he chooses to exercise the player option for it.

Having given up over $14 million, Harden enabled the 76ers to have salary cap flexibility to enhance their squad. The team signed P.J. Tucker on a three-year, $33.2 million contract and Danuel House on a two-year, $8.5 million deal, using the mid-level and biannual exceptions. Moreover, the 76ers traded with the Memphis Grizzlies for De'Anthony Melton on the NBA Draft night.

Tucker will be of great help on the defensive end along Joel Embiid thanks to his ability to switch to guard most players, big or small, in the league. He can also stretch the spacing from the two corners. House is an energetic wing man who could make 1.4 triples at 41.5 percent in the Utah Jazz last season. Melton could play a key role for the 76ers off the bench, especially on the offensive end.

The 76ers suffered a lot of trouble, including lack of defensive flexibility and of diversified offensive options, last season, not to mention that they had went through a blockbuster trade to acquire Harden. However, the team still played six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Miami Heat. With the improvements they made to the lineup during the offseason, the 76ers will still be a throne contender in the East.

Of course, the team will still have to count on Harden to make a difference. Embiid averaged 30.6 points to become the scoring leader last season, but he almost reached summit of his skills in every category and, as a big man, there is a limit on how much he can help the team offensively.

By contrast, Harden, as a top playmaker in today's NBA, is running the 76ers' offense in a more influential way. He can and must do more and better in this area in order to help the team make a difference. Averaging 21 points, 7.1 rebounds and 10.5 assists was good to most players in the league, but three-time scoring champion Harden can be more productive than that, especially in 3-point shooting (2.2 triples at 32.6 percent per game) and free throws (7.9 made at 89.2 percent per game).