Thunderous Intentions
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The James Harden trade: Five years later

By Austin Sternlicht

TULSA, OK- OCTOBER 3: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball during the preseason game against the OKC Thunder on October 3, 2017 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Shane Bevel/NBAE via Getty Images)
TULSA, OK- OCTOBER 3: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets shoots the ball during the preseason game against the OKC Thunder on October 3, 2017 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Shane Bevel/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – JUNE 2: Russell Westbrook
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – JUNE 2: Russell Westbrook /

This Friday, one of the most infamous trades in NBA history reaches its five-year anniversary. Austin Sternlicht shares his personal connection with the trade and the overall impact it has had on Oklahoma City.

The date was October 27th, 2012.

It just so happened to be my 18th birthday. That night, I was hanging out at a friend’s house, watching The Ring outside on his giant video projector. You know, getting in the spirit of Halloween in just a few days. The movie was alright. I wasn’t that scared to be honest… but that’s not the point.

It was a really great night… well, that’s the way it started.

Later that evening, I noticed a glow coming from my phone. I picked it up, just assuming it was someone texting me “Happy Birthday” or something like that.

You can guess where this is headed. It was an ESPN update saying the Thunder had traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, and some future picks.

I was in utter disbelief. Why would the Thunder want to trade the reigning Sixth Man of the Year who still had a year left on his rookie contract, just days before the season opener? Harden was just 23 at the time and while coming off a rough NBA Finals, still had his best years ahead of him. Why would the Thunder want to give that up? Something just didn’t feel right. Usually, as soon as a trade is made, it’s easy to make a case for why both sides made this move. Right then, from the Thunder’s perspective, it didn’t make any sense.

As silly as it sounds, the trade sort of ruined my birthday that year. That’s the reason I told you this story you probably don’t care about. Essentially, the trade was mind-boggling at the time, and as the years have gone by, has only gotten worse.

As a reminder here is the complete trade.

The Rockets received Harden, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward.

The Thunder received Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, a 2013 first round pick that became Steven Adams, a 2013 second round pick that became Alex Abrines, and a 2014 first round pick that became Mitch McGary,

At face value, this trade has become a nightmare for OKC. The obvious reason is that Harden has become one of the league’s best and brightest starts. Since joining Houston, Harden has been to five All-Star games, is a three-time first-team All-NBA member, and is a two-time MVP runner-up. He’s led the Rockets to two Western Conference Finals appearances, the same number of times as the Thunder have been the past five years.

The pain of the Harden trade reached its apex in last year’s playoffs, when his Rockets handled Oklahoma City in five games. The better Harden and the Rockets have gotten, the worse the Thunder has looked for giving him away. Aside from giving away an eventual MVP candidate, part of the reason the Thunder are chided for making this move is the lack of production they received in return.

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