LAS VEGAS — The Houston Rockets signed guard James Harden to a four-year contract extension for about $160 million Saturday, giving him a total six-year deal with $228 million guaranteed.

With Harden under contract on his existing deal for another two seasons, the extension will not affect Houston’s aggressive pursuit of free agents this summer as the Rockets try to make a run at the Golden State Warriors.

Harden is coming off of his finest season. Moving to point guard for new coach Mike D’Antoni, Harden averaged 29.1 points, an NBA-leading 11.2 assists and 8.1 rebounds and finished second in the MVP race to former Oklahoma City teammate Russell Westbrook.

Harden’s do-it-all season helped the Rockets bounce back from a massively disappointing 2015-16 season that collapsed under the weight of chemistry issues with the All-Star guard and big man Dwight Howard. With Howard gone, the Rockets put Harden at the center of everything they do on offense, and it paid off in a major way as Houston went 55-27 in the regular season and beat the Thunder in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

TIMBERWOLVES: A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Jamal Crawford has agreed to terms on a two-year deal.

The cap-strapped Wolves only had the room exception available, worth about $4.2 million for the upcoming season.

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Crawford, 37, averaged 12.3 points in 82 games for the Clippers last season. He was traded to Atlanta to help make room for Danilo Gallinari and reached a buyout agreement with the Hawks.

Taj Gibson, who recently agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract to play in Minnesota, was arrested for a traffic violation in New York City.

The New York Police Department says a 2016 Mercedes Benz sedan made an illegal U-turn early Thursday in Queens. Police stopped the car and Gibson, who was driving, produced a suspended Illinois driver’s license.

76ERS: Philadelphia center Joel Embiid was fined $10,000 by the NBA for directing an obscenity at LaVar Ball on social media.

Embiid directed the obscenity at Ball, the father of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, in an Instagram Live video this week.


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