OKC Thunder draft picks over the last 11 years: Where are they now?
By Aidan E
James Harden: Houston Rockets
Like Durant and Westbrook before him, James Harden is one of the best players of this era. Taken fourth overall in 2009, many thought OKC should have taken guard Ricky Rubio to play at the point and shift Westbrook to the two.
Harden is one of the greatest offensive players I’ve ever seen and has the ability to easily carry a team to the playoffs. With an MVP under his belt and three other second-place finishes in the last five seasons, Harden has the potential to go down as one of the three greatest shooting guards of all time.
Harden was comfortable coming off the bench for the Thunder, and after being traded to Houston he has only made the All-Star game in seven straight seasons. The Harden trade is the biggest blemish on Sam Presti’s resume and will always be among one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history.