Thunder Still Contenders Despite Risky James Harden Trade

In a trade which shocked the basketball world only days before opening night, James Harden was shipped off to the Houston Rockets after rejecting a contract extension from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Many are skeptical of general manager Sam Presti and the Thunder for getting rid of their second unit star, mainly because they were so close to winning it all last season. Why change something which is successful? The reigning Western Conference champions could have kept Harden for the 2012-13 season to make another title run, dealing with the contract situation when he becomes a free agent. They offered him a four-year, $55.5 million deal in which Harden rejected and quickly after was traded. Mixed opinions have arisen from the blockbuster trade, which will take time to figure out which team ‘won’ the trade. On one hand you have James Harden, a talented young shooting guard who has plenty of potential. Then there’s the Thunder, who lose a key player, however they receive some positive additions. It makes sense for reigning Sixth Man of the Year award-winner to join the Rockets, as he’ll be a starter and be earning his max money now. On the downside though, Houston don’t have a Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook-type player, making Harden the main man, something which he’ll be new to. Looking at this right now it’s clearly a mistake by Harden, although in the future he could be leading the young Rockets to a playoff-run. As for this season, he’ll be most likely competing for the final playoff spot out West rather than playing in the biggest series in the NBA. To be critical of the Thunder is extremely easy, why take away an essential part of an elite team and disrupt their chemistry? In the long run this trade is perfect, as they gain future first round picks and avoid the luxury tax for now. In regards to this season though, the change to the team is definitely a risk. The chemistry the team has built over the past seasons (Durant, Westbrook and Harden especially) will be impacted by the trade and might cause OKC to start the season off slow. They’ll still contend in the West and are likely to return to the Finals, but nothing’s a certainty with the Los Angeles Lakers adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. One part of the trade which many people are forgetting is the Rockets. The team made numerous changes over the off-season and failed to land the magic piece they wanted in Howard. Now they feel like they have got their man and a “superstar” player to build around in the future. The Rockets gave up a lot for Harden and still have cap space to sign a big name free agent next off-season. Don’t expect them to make any noise this season, but as for the 2013-14 season, only time will tell. The post Thunder Still Contenders Despite Risky James Harden Trade appeared first on FootBasket.