The regular season finally arrived and the Brooklyn Nets were trounced by the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, on the road, 127-104. Following the game, we got an update on the second biggest story in Brooklyn over the last few weeks, James Harden and his plans for his future. Harden had formerly been eligible to tack another three years on top of his 2023 player option. Ultimately, the October 18th extension deadline came and went without news, slating Harden for a potentially league-altering unrestricted free agency next summer.

So should fans be worried that “The Beard” will take meetings with the likes of Daryl Morey, Pat Riley, and other persuasive executives come July?

Following the loss in Milwaukee, Harden had this to say about the situation.

Per Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN:

“I don't plan on leaving this organization and the situation that we have. So my focus, honestly, is just focus on the season and then winning the championship. The contract and all that stuff will bear itself out, but my focus is going to be locked on this season.”

A cynical reader would be quick to note that if Harden's focus was truly on this coming season, he'd have signed that extension. Doing so would have spared him a season's worth of questions about his future.

Kevin Durant already knows plenty about that. If you're a superstar in a contract year, everything you do can be seen through a certain lens. Fans will read your body language and your lips all year long hunting for signs of frustration. There will be rumors of other teams creating cap-space to make room and lure you away. There'll probably be at least one “Jimmy Butler is trying to sell James Harden on taking his talents to South Beach” type of story. You've been warned.

Or maybe there will be a “Breaking news: James Harden chatted with another All-Star in a tunnel!”

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So why is James Harden giving us the cliche about focusing on the season? It's pretty simple. He has millions of reasons to wait until next summer. Indeed, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Harden's decision to wait would allow him to earn another year of salary (topping $60M in a single season) four seasons beyond his 2023 player option. That would be a record and maximize his earnings and security through most of his 30's. Now it all makes sense.

But fear not Nets fans. We have reason to believe the decision to wait was more about about money and not about a wandering eye.

Youngmisuk's piece quotes Harden, still speaking post game:

“I love it here, myself and [Brooklyn owners] Joe [Tsai] and Clara [Wu Tsai] and [GM] Sean [Marks] and the front office and [alternate governor Oliver Weisberg] and [head coach] Steve [Nash]. From top to bottom the communication has been unbelievable, it's been amazing. I feel at home. It's nothing to worry about. For me individually I just want to focus on this year and that's it.”

For now, Nets fans can bookmark these quotes and pin them up on their bulletin boards (along with those quotes from Governor Joe Tsai and General Manager Sean Marks indicating nothing but confidence Harden is here to stay). They may help you cope come February when you log on to ClutchPoints Twitter and see fans trying to instigate a heated exchange between Harden and Kevin Durant or read about rumors like these. For now, we'll rely on the sage advice from “The Wire's” Lester Freamon and “follow the money.” No team can offer James Harden that $60M plus salary besides Brooklyn.