My take on the trade from 4 very different points of view
Harden: He was getting the max, period. I know he said everything about sacrifice and all the right things in the off season, but once Eric Gordon got max money that set the market for Harden. I know people want to think professional athletes care more about their team and winning, but history has taught us that players follow the money (especially on your second contract). Harden made his choice, now we will see what it brings. The rockets are his team. He may regret this move in 5 years. In the present though, it was not a surprise he wanted/demanded the max.
Thunder: Sam Presti has been the best GM in the last 5 years: great draft picks (durant, westbrook, harden, ibaka), shrewd contracts (ibaka and not overpaying jeff green) and team evolving trades (perkins). Now I ask as a GM what are you ultimately building towards? Hopefully its winning the NBA championship. The thunder were a couple games away from that. You can not just throw that away. The thunder had options. Sign Harden now, compete and trade him after the season. Sign Harden and if youre worried about the money, amnesty perkins. In other words YOU DONT TRADE JAMES HARDEN. All they had to do was pony up 6 million dollars more and they guarantee to be a championship contender for at least the next 4 years. As a fan, franchise and GM that is all you can ask for. Ultimately Presti drew a line in the sand and said "I dont think James Harden is worth this much to the franchise." He stuck to his guns and we will see whether it works out. I am skeptical but Presti’s record speaks for itself.
Oh yeah, the thunder got something in return for "the beard". Don’t talk yourself into Kevin Martin. He hasn’t been on a 50 win team since his rookie year and doesn’t play defense. Kmart does shoot the ball very well and will get open looks via Durant and Westbrook. To be honest, his expiring contract could be more valuable than his production. The thunder will probably look to trade him and the picks to see if they can grab another young promising player. I do like jeremy lamb. Very good shooter, great length and a guy who doesn’t need the spot light. The Thunder are hoping he develops like Harden, but thats a stretch. Harden is a top 20 player. Ultimately the thunder got some nice pieces and it could be argued they received more than the magic did for dwight. That said they definitely lost in this trade. When you give up a 23 year old top 20 player, you always lose.
Rockets: Daryl Morey, the Rockets GM, finally got his star. He has been doing everything right the past couple seasons for this trade opportunity. Stockpiling draft picks, trade assets and saving cap room. I was worried they blew it this summer by signing LIn and Asik to higher mid level deals. Both guys are very unproven, but this trade makes their roster look a lot better. Lin and harden can be dynamic on ball, while the turkish hammer protects the rim. If young players like royce white and terrence jones develops, this teams future looks bright. Also don't be surprised if they take another run at a max player next summer. Josh Smith comes to mind. Definite winners.
NBA: “The reality is that all teams are going to be faced with player sharing … because of the tax.” – David Stern. This cap saving move by the thunder is exactly what Stern is talking about. Though, I am sure they did not want it to happen like this. The small market team (thunder) gives up a superstar, while big market teams (brooklyn and NY) will continue to pay tens of millions in the luxury tax. Over the next couple of years we will see how teams of all market sizes are affected by the new luxury tax.
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