It’s been eight years since the trade that sent James Harden to the Houston Rockets, and it’s safe to say the trade altered both franchises. The Thunder clearly didn’t realize what they had in Harden, and the Rockets were in dire need of a superstar, so they were willing to risk it all for the Sixth Man of the Year.
But the circumstances leading up to the move were entirely one-sided, in favor of OKC, as they made it known that they didn’t value Harden and felt they could easily replace him. This became apparent in how they handled the contract talks, which were also one-sided, as OKC GM Sam Presti had no desire to make it work between Harden and his representation.