The Oklahoma City Thunder are the most exciting young team in the NBA. Sam Presti’s heist of the Clippers that netted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the foundation of this rebuild. OKC is primed to be in contention for years to come and fans could be watching the early stages of a dynasty.
Presti is arguably the best general manager in the NBA, but even he makes mistakes. Whether it is failed draft picks, free agent misses, or trades that do not go as planned, nobody is perfect in talent acquisition. The Thunder take multiple bites at the apple and always have a backup plan for this reason.
Oklahoma City loves to add talent, but getting too much can mean parting with a player before they fully blossom. This list examines one player at each position gone too soon since the Thunder moved to OKC in 2008.
PG: James Harden
Presti drafted Harden with the third overall pick in 2009. They were ready to contend with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, which put The Beard as their sixth man.
Harden quickly became a key part of their rotation. He helped the Thunder make the conference finals in 2011 and the NBA Finals in 2012. OKC could not beat LeBron James and the Heat, but they were clearly one of the best in the world. The Beard was entering the final year of his rookie contract and things quickly soured for both sides.
The Thunder traded Harden to Houston in Oct. 2012. He instantly became the Rockets' star and helped them get into contention. The Beard won MVP in 2018 and made Houston an annual threat. His Rockets never won a championship, but Harden became a legend after leaving Oklahoma City.
The Thunder never made it back to the NBA Finals. If they were willing to offer Harden more money and prioritized him, OKC may have had the best Big 3 of this era. It certainly would have changed the landscape of the league, but the Thunder left Harden leave far too soon.