It's All About the Money
If he finishes in first or second place, he will pass both Phil Ivey and Jamie Gold in the all-time money list (statistics courtesy of the Hendon Mob Poker Database), and if he only makes third place, he'll be within $16,000 of the top.
Having said that, we're not sure if that list takes into account the minimum 9th-place money that Ivey will take home from the WSOP final table this November. Maybe there is a way for Negreanu to go yet...