Saturday, October 27th, 2012 at 11:33 pm  |  241 responses

James Harden Traded to Houston Rockets


Well, that ends the James Harden-OKC Thunder max contract drama. The Thunder have shipped Harden to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin and future Draft considerations. Yahoo! has the report: “The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded  James Harden to the Houston Rockets after they were unable to agree to a contract extension with the star guard, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Rockets sent Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and future draft considerations to the Thunder for Harden, sources told Y! Sports. Along with Harden, the Thunder will send Cole Aldridge, Lazar Hayward and Daequan Cook to the Rockets. Houston also sent two 2013 first-round picks (from Dallas and Toronto) to Oklahoma City, sources told Y! Sports, as well as a 2013 second-round pick (via Charlotte). The first-round picks have varying degrees of protection on them, but the one from Toronto is assured of being in the lottery whenever it is relayed to the Thunder. Contract extension talks between the Thunder and Harden broke down, and Thunder general manger Sam Presti moved quickly to trade the guard. Harden rejected a four-year offer that would have paid him a base salary of $53 million to $54 million, league sources said. That offer would have pushed OKC’s payroll to $95 million, and Thunder officials weren’t willing to go any higher.”

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  • Redd

    They’re not going into top 5 lottery genius, the Raptors are now a decent enough team.

  • Dnton

    Perry Jones III has to prove himself first. Harden already proved himself in the WCF. WIthout him, the Spurs move on the NBA Finals. Sure he choked a bit in the Finals but only KD had a statistically good run in the Finals. You betting on Perry Jones to become an all-star? Hope you didn’t bet the house.

  • Dnton

    Raptors pick probably gonna be a late first round pick. Thats bad for OKC unless they find a manu ginobli or tony parker ie don’t bet on it.

  • danpowers

    sure he wont be scoring 20ppg but he is capable to do so. so whenever they want to sit durant or westbrook the still have perimeter scoring. they can also let lamb and jones play on the sf or even shift martin to play 3 n go smallball. they got maynor to run the point, that will make up for hardens ability to create for others. sure thabo will start but he will be the first guy along with perk who will be substituted. theyll also give martin minutes together with durant and westbrook. that will open up alot of room for drives as martin is a lethal shooter. it might take some time to gel but this team will be fine i think

  • danpowers

    naaahhh

  • Dnton

    Him being as good as Harden has proven himself to be is highly unlikely.

  • Dnton

    A 20ppg scorer with bad vision, so-so basketball IQ and progressively worse FG% as his career goes by, also a terrible defender. I see Kobe munching on Kmart all day every day if LA and OKC meet in the playoffs

  • danpowers

    theyll play thabo and lamb on kobe and get martin out with the second unit. then maynor will set him and other guys up and martins only role will be to put the ball into the basket. his decrease in fg% didnt come due to a decrease in ability. expect his fg% and 3fg% to go up as soon as he bought into the offensive system.

  • danpowers

    theyll play thabo and lamb on kobe and get martin out with the second unit. then maynor will set him and other guys up and martins only role will be to put the ball into the basket. his decrease in fg% didnt come due to a decrease in ability. expect his fg% and 3fg% to go up as soon as he bought into the offensive system.

  • elmaar

    Well harden obviously didn’t want to be a sixth man. It was all about starting, being an all star. Money was not an issue. OKC offered him 55.5 which was 4.5 off what he would be offered somewhere else. And that Olympic invitation made him think that way even more. Wade made a brilliant move.

    But you never know. OKC got a lesser still proven scorer in KMart who’ll become more efficient playing alongside KD and Russ and a promising talent in JLamb, plus 2 first round picks in a lottery protected Toronto pick and a Mavs first round pick which could turn into a lottery one

    OKC, Lakers, Spurs, Clippers, Grizzlies, Nuggs all are safe bets to make the playoffs and Minny, Portland, Utah, Houston, GSW and Mavs are gonna be fighting for those 2 playoff spots.

  • Dnton

    @danpowers I buy thabo but I think Kobe will kill Lamb even worse than he’ll kill Martin. A rookie on Kobe? I know he is on the decline but he is still a superstar. Come on man, show some respect.

    And I will have to see it to believe if Kmart can make himself relevant again. He wont be getting as many shots or as many minutes and I don’t think he can play besides Westbrook, only Maynor.

  • Dnton

    Trust Toronto and Dallas to do decently well, Toronto has a decent team and don’t sleep on Nowitzki. So don’t expect any top 5 or maybe not even top 10 picks for OKC.

    Kmart has to be able to play within the system first and Lamb is very unlikely to become the player that Harden is right now. They could have just kept Harden for one more year and then matched whatever RFA offer was thrown his way.

    Bottomline: Clay Bennet doesn’t want to play luxury tax, good for him, feel bad for OKC. Didn’t see Harden making any noise about being a starter.

  • Redd

    He is a declining shooter. And they cannot afford to have a small line up with Howard. And I don’t feel they will. Anyways, there’s no way again you can say this was a sound & fool proof trade. They could’ve fished out a lot of deals before the season from teams. He declined the extension I believe yesterday or today.

    The same day they traded him, bad management.

  • JML-G

    well this was truly unexpected to me

  • Dnton

    Keep being high on Perry Jones. Just dont bet any money on him or Lamb being anywhere close to Harden’s skill level anytime soon.

  • coggie13

    As long as they have Durant they are a contender.

  • coggie13

    I disagree. He can no longer get easy points off KD and westbrooke. He now has to share the ball with Lin who is a turnover shoot first average point guard. Not sure how he will do against first team defenders, as he will be the main focus. His FG will dip I will say.

  • elmaar

    I just don’t see Dallas competing this year with a banged up and likely unmotivated Nowitzki and an average roster they have.
    What has made you think Kmart won’t be able to play within a system? outside his rift with Mchale he’s a multi year veteran who’s never had any issues. Besides he should thrive as a sixth man on a legitimate contender.
    And let’s not get too low on Lamb, while I’m not saying he’s James Harden in a year, he’s got the tools and the necessary attitude to be really good, having Durant and Westbrook helps a lot too.
    And yeah Harden did not make noise about being a starter but quietly acknowledged and wanted to be one cos you don’t reject an offer which is 4.5 mill of max if you are ok coming off the bench

  • coggie13

    its a pity KD is the Grinch..

  • pavol

    when he forgets how winning big & great team chemistry tastes like he will regret this..

  • Dnton

    I think it was more about the money, the perceived lack of respect and the fact that he didn’t expect the trade, no one did. He DIDNT DEMAND TO GET TRADED, SAM PRESTI PULLED THE TRIGGER (CAPS off). Harden would have been a starter eventually. If you don’t think that Dallas is going to make noise this year, you are crazy. You say that Kmart is a multiyear vet with hardly any issues. Dirk is a model of consistency, less injury-prone than Kmart and has no issues whatsoever. I say Dallas still has a shot for a playoff berth, and I’d think that most smart slam readers would agree with me there. You are being way too optimistic. Dallas wont compete for the WCF but saying that they wont make the playoffs or not be in contention for the playoff berth is a huge streeeetch. The toronto pick is far more legitimate since they probably wont be making the playoffs but I see them as anywhere from 9-11 this year so it prob won’t be a high pick either. Realistically, in a world where Dirk tunes out for an entire season, OKC can get maybe picks 8-10 (toronto) and 10-14 (Dallas)?

    Kmart can thrive or he can be unused to not logging heavy minutes and having to come off the bench. He is getting more and more injury prone as the years, and has become a progressively worse shooter too. I agree that this is the best team he has ever been on, but it’s on him to show up and fit the system. We’ll see, not counting him out but I want to see the evidence. Also he is so defensively terrible that Kobe and Wade are gonna have career nights against him.

    Lamb has the tools and the attitude to be a decent/good player but the way ppl are going on about him and PJ III make it sound like they expect them to be very good very fast. I’m a tad more realistic than that.

    I actually like the Thunder a lot but the fact that dirty Clay has potentially screwed over yet another franchise over money has me very rankled. Not like OKC weren’t getting endorsements, their TV deal sucks balls tho.

  • JML-G

    everybody says how good move this was for OKC, but clearly they took many steps back and now have to wait for another player to fill Hardens shoes b4 taking another shot at the chip.. small-market teams is so greedy and cheap, it aint funny

  • Guest

    @ elmaar Oh and with Kmart instead of Harden, OKC gets swept by the Spurs last season. Say what you want about his Finals performance but Harden carried his weight in that WCF

  • Thanatos15

    I think that’s exactly that Thunder is thinking. Pair K Martin with a now healthy E Maynor.

  • elmaar

    I am not going to argue anymore about Harden. That’s your opinion.
    And I didn’t say Dallas ain’t making the playoffs, I said they’ll be fighting for that spot.
    And I never at any point compared Dirk to Kmart.
    Toronto pick is lottery protected, brother.
    And you should just stop this illogical nonsense.

  • GC6

    This is a great trade for thunder are going to have a excellent dynasty Perry Jones, Jeremy Lamb not forgetting Kevin Durrant and Westbrook are young too.

  • Dnton

    Way too high on Lamb and PJIII, why don’t you let them log a full season before crowing “Dynasty”

  • Dnton

    @elmaar:disqus I know you didn’t. But if you cite Kmart has that kind of player, DIrk is that and even more. And if Dallas is fighting for the playoff it means their first round pick aint gonna be high.

    The Toronto pick is lottery protected. The lottery goes from 1 -14. The chances that Toronto gets a shot at 4-6 pick is only if they bomb damn badly, I don’t see it happening. I already said the toronto pick will probably go 8-12. It ain’t illogical, if you refuse to see the logic behind it. And you’re so high on Kmart that its unbelievable. You call me illogical and nonsensical but you don’t prove my fallacy or call out any of my points. I am arguing seriously but if you are just gonna ad-hominem without backing yourself then its your call homie.

  • neaorin

    But then you have to deal with the distraction of your third best player complaining all year that he didn’t get extended, while the other big guns did.

  • shutup

    Agree 100% without Harden I see them as low as the 4-5 seed LAL, Spurs, LAC then Memphis/OKC. Harden is the punch that made them special, Durant and Westbrook are amazing but having a starting 2 guard come off your bench is immeasurable in this league, ask the Spurs.

  • Irishway’s

    Jermey Lin and Harden been a while since I watched the Rockets play hopefully they get some coverege this season.

  • danpowers

    i dont think it matters much how many shots kobe is going to jack up against whoever. the lakers will win and lose by their bigs. not necesserily by kobes shooting.
    and sure, martin wont put up 20 a night. its enough to have one guy on your bench who consistantly gives you 10-15points per outing and have a big scoring night every once in a while and thats what martin will give them. it doesnt matter that he cant guard kobe, as he will play with the second unit. thabo will guard kobe. or maybe even westbrook. they will maybe also throw double teams at him as he tends to shoot against these instead of passing. ibaka and perkins are the thunders keys to success against the lakers. perkins proved to defend howard very well in the past. maybe ibaka improved as a post defender to limit gasol or make life at least tougher for him. that gives the thunder a big advantage above other teams facing the lakers: they dont need to double team the lakers’ bigs.
    on the other side of the floor there is no way anybody could contain durant (not even tapered mwp) or westbrook. as both will slash and score and dish almost at will. if i was a lakers fan id be more concerned about howard and gasol getting into foul trouble against the thunder.

  • danpowers

    me too, the old 3 movies and the animated stuff. that episode one two three stuff was horrible tho

  • danpowers

    the thunder are fine by putting ibaka and perkins on gasol and howard. not many teams have this luxury. they can go small when the lakers rest one or both of their two bigs.

    the thunder did not improve by that trade, sure. i am only saying it could have been worse. what they got in return didnt worsen their team in a way that they couldnt compete anymore. i like that move, really. i wish the magic wouldve done the same with howard same with the nuggets and anthony. these dramas are distracting us fans, the players, chemistry, everything from the game. i dont want that sh*t anymore. so kudos for that. harden got offered a big deal and he didnt want it. so ship him. plain and simple.

  • Harlem_World

    Harden messed up. Winning brings in more off-court money which he just lost. It will take another year or two for the Thunder to replace what he brought as they were ring-ready this year, which now takes a slight step back, but they will get back to the Finals within 2 seasons. Harden, on the other hand, gets to play with Jeremy Lin. Houston now possesses the most over-rated 1-2 punch in the league. Harden is good, but not great. Lin is average not good. Houston, at best, are first round outs for the forseeable future.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    Thank you sir. I;m just waiting on LakeShow to come disagree with me.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    I’ve seen Perry Jones and I’m not sold at all. I don’t think you are either.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    You could be right but I haven’t heard any reports that Harden is complaining or anything. If he was though I would have to agree with you. Melo and Dwight are to blame for this type of nonsense nowadays.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    Agreed, but not the favorite. They went from being the favorite to a contender and that’s going to be a tough pill for the OKC fanbase to swallow.

  • ….

    Durant is not gonna like this…There goes their chance of making it to the finals again this year..

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    If you can get 78 million it is.

  • ctk

    24,5,n 6 i expect nothing less …cant knock u for gettin your money …now its time to get it done….If Houston can get to 35wins then he did his job for season one

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    This Perry Jones love is puzzling to me too. I think people are ignoring his last 2 college years and remembering the high school “phenom” that was supposed to be Durant/McGrady like.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Bishop.SeanMagicJuan Sean MagicJuan

    I’m calling it early. Terrance Jones for R.O.Y.

  • Dagger

    Maybe you’re right, but I think he will be one sooner rather than later. His combination of play making and scoring is rare.

  • Dagger

    Yes. I loved the way they matched up with the Lakers.

  • Dagger

    The best summary I found is by Tom Haberstroh: “definitely a bad move for the short term, and potentially a good move for the long term. There’s just no two ways about it: The Thunder just lost an Olympian and got very little in return for this season. Kevin Martin is a brittle, one-dimensional player who might be the worst defender at his position. This is about a small-market team seeking future flexibility. Remember, the Lakers earn $250 million a year off their TV deal, but the Thunder make only about $15 million from theirs. Presti has to play a different game, thanks to the harsher CBA that was supposed to help his cause.”

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    If Durant can teach Lamb anything at all and speed up his progression, this trade will work out long term. The 1st round draft picks will be good for them. Martin’s contract is up at the end of the season so this trade depends heavily on Jeremy. This puts them behind the Lakers and tied with the Clippers. If I’m Kevin Martin, I’m happy to finally be on a winning team. If I’m
    Lamb, I’m happy to be able to learn from the best scorer/2nd best player
    in the league. If I’m Durant and Westbrook, I’m a little pissed. I thought they would give that team one more shot at it. I’m surprised Harden didn’t take the deal that was just $4 million less than the max. He and Jeremy Lin alone won’t be enough to get another superstar to play with them in Houston in my opinion. So he’s now going to be the 1st option on a mediocre team. I would have taken the $55 million deal and stayed on the best team in the Western Conference. But his head was obviously elsewhere. Sam Presti is cold-blooded. First, Jeff Green. Now, James Harden.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Long term, if Lamb and Perry Jones work out, the Thunder will be a young, extremely scary squad for years to come.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Westbrook took less money than he’s worth maybe thinking/hoping that Harden eventually would too. Who would have thought that Harden would show himself to be more selfish than Westbrook? He’s well within his rights to get whatever he thinks he deserves, but wow. If Russ wanted to be selfish, he could have waited until he was a free agent and gotten a superstar max deal. Harden may be overrating himself.

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