Harden: 'Definitely, No Question' I'd Still Be In Oklahoma City If Money Wasn't Factor

[RealGM Wiretap]

James Harden was adamant that he saw himself spending his entire career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before turning down a contract extension offer and subsequently being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.

“I thought we were going to be together forever," Harden said in a sit down interview. "Russell Westbrook. James Harden. Kevin Durant.

When asked whether he would still be in Oklahoma City if money was not a factor, Harden said: "Definitely. Definitely. No question.

"I felt like I already made a sacrifice coming off the bench and doing whatever it takes to help the team, and they weren’t willing to help me."

Via Hannah Storm/ESPN

[RaptorRed]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

[Mykhyn]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

Reasonable for OKC, not for Harden

[pjiggz]

Thunder played him by only giving him an hour to accept or reject their contract offer. I really believe he would have taken it if they didnt force such short dealine on him. Anyone would feel disrespected.

[Sam195]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

[RaptorRed]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

[Jester_]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

Why is he the one that has to sacrifice money? Why couldn't Westbrook and Durant sacrifice money too? Your entire post is bullsh*t.

[Sam195]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

He wanted to stay - he publicly said if okc offered him the full max he would have stayed which would have been the offersheet 58M 4 year deal. He already sacrificed enough. Thunder didn't want to pay him the extra 6M and the taxes on it. If they kept him they would be paying the repeater tax in the third season of the deal and future seasons. He also reportedly wanted a player option and a trade kicker to protect himself in case the thunder pulled a rudy gay down the road and unloaded him to avoid the tax hit and get trade assets while he'd be forced to play on a non-contender like Sacramento.

[Knicks Universe]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

Agreed, I hate when athletes say the sacrificed but only because they went for more money. $52 million is MORE than enough to carry on a very rich life with no worries.

[Knicks Universe]

James Harden was adamant that he saw himself spending his entire career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before turning down a contract extension offer and subsequently being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.
“I thought we were going to be together forever," Harden said in a sit down interview. "Russell Westbrook. James Harden. Kevin Durant.
When asked whether he would still be in Oklahoma City if money was not a factor, Harden said: "Definitely. Definitely. No question.
"I felt like I already made a sacrifice coming off the bench and doing whatever it takes to help the team, and they weren’t willing to help me."Via Hannah Storm/ESPN

Another example of the downside of small market teams and why they shouldn't be in the NBA. They are not able to sustain teams good enough to win a championship, instead forced to jettison off certain players because they can't afford them. Would have been interesting to see what the team could have accomplished with those three still together.

[RaptorRed]

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

He wanted to stay - he publicly said if okc offered him the full max he would have stayed which would have been the offersheet 58M 4 year deal. He already sacrificed enough. Thunder didn't want to pay him the extra 6M and the taxes on it. If they kept him they would be paying the repeater tax in the third season of the deal and future seasons. He also reportedly wanted a player option and a trade kicker to protect himself in case the thunder pulled a rudy gay down the road and unloaded him to avoid the tax hit and get trade assets while he'd be forced to play on a non-contender like Sacramento.[/quote
]
He chose to leave for 6 mi... 6 mil !!l ... Enough said .

[RaptorRed]

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

Why is he the one that has to sacrifice money? Why couldn't Westbrook and Durant sacrifice money too? Your entire post is bullsh*t.

It's Durants and westbrooks team , they were there before him. He was clearly the third best player so that's why he had to sacrifice.

[2Mas]

Yeah right , this guys ego is too big for that , the offered him a reasonable contract

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

His team that he's the face of won 54 or 55 games this year. He is winning. More than that, they got home court & should go to the 2nd round, where they'll play SAS who they swept this year. Your looking at a OKC HOU Western Finals. & Regardless, 55 wins & WCF trip is a winning season. While he's getting his money & buckets.

Translation = James Harden is doing just fine.

[Sam195]

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

Agreed, I hate when athletes say the sacrificed but only because they went for more money. $52 million is MORE than enough to carry on a very rich life with no worries.

Than what is your opinion of the cheap owner of the team? Clay Bennett is a billionaire and he was being stingy by telling presti that he didn't ever want to pay the repeater tax and would rather trade harden for pennies on the dollar. The James Harden trade was not a salary cap issue since the team was already way over the cap and they owned harden's bird rights. The owner preferred to make a profit on his sports ownership (which is a hobby for most billionaires) than keep the young core of durant, ibaka, westbrook and harden together to form a potential nba dynasty.

[RaptorRed]

The contract okc offered was substantially less than what he would have gotten in the open market. I think the final take it or leave it offer was 4 years 52M. Had Harden been traded a season earlier and made the all nba team a second time in addition to last season - he would have gotten 5 years 95M. I'm pretty sure most 23 year old athletes (his age at the time) would have taken another guaranteed contract year and a potential extra 43M. What if he stayed in okc and got a career altering injury like shaun livingston. No one is going to give him 43M. In Houston he got 80M with no state taxes which is like the 95M. He also became a starter and a more marketable player (more endorsement money). Maybe if he was a rich veteran player like lebron or chris bosh, it would have been a mistake to leave the okc situation.

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

His team that he's the face of won 54 or 55 games this year. He is winning. More than that, they got home court & should go to the 2nd round, where they'll play SAS who they swept this year. Your looking at a OKC HOU Western Finals. & Regardless, 55 wins & WCF trip is a winning season. While he's getting his money & buckets.

Translation = James Harden is doing just fine.

Ok ?thanks for reciting the rockets current situation for me.Lol I never said he wasn't doing fine ... I just said he is a selfish player that likes the spotlight . That doesn't mean he can't win at the same time .. Kobe Bryant is also a selfish player

[RaptorRed]

52 million is enough money to live your life as a millionaire even if his career somehow ends. If he wanted more than good for him , some players would rather play on a winning team. He had a choice to make , spotlight and more money or sixth man on a great team and he made that choice. He is acting like he wanted to stay but it was a matter of a few dollars which is just not true , he cares about his scoring average more than he cares about winning.

Agreed, I hate when athletes say the sacrificed but only because they went for more money. $52 million is MORE than enough to carry on a very rich life with no worries.

Than what is your opinion of the cheap owner of the team? Clay Bennett is a billionaire and he was being stingy by telling presti that he didn't ever want to pay the repeater tax and would rather trade harden for pennies on the dollar. The James Harden trade was not a salary cap issue since the team was already way over the cap and they owned harden's bird rights. The owner preferred to make a profit on his sports ownership (which is a hobby for most billionaires) than keep the young core of durant, ibaka, westbrook and harden together to form a potential nba dynasty.

I guess that is a valid point about the owner aswell . They were both being greedy though .. That's what I was trying to say. Harden keeps acting like its all the thunders fault , he had an equal part in this.

[MRxBLACK]

The most important thing is money.

[Sam195]

Agreed, I hate when athletes say the sacrificed but only because they went for more money. $52 million is MORE than enough to carry on a very rich life with no worries.

Than what is your opinion of the cheap owner of the team? Clay Bennett is a billionaire and he was being stingy by telling presti that he didn't ever want to pay the repeater tax and would rather trade harden for pennies on the dollar. The James Harden trade was not a salary cap issue since the team was already way over the cap and they owned harden's bird rights. The owner preferred to make a profit on his sports ownership (which is a hobby for most billionaires) than keep the young core of durant, ibaka, westbrook and harden together to form a potential nba dynasty.

I guess that is a valid point about the owner aswell . They were both being greedy though .. That's what I was trying to say. Harden keeps acting like its all the thunders fault , he had an equal part in this.

How was harden being greedy when he sacrificed a potential 5th year and 37M in contract negotiations (95M-58M) which the thunder front office still didn't think was enough. On top of that they underestimated his talent based on what they accepted in a trade as fair value. If they knew he was going to be this good - they should have gotten a melo like haul for him that included dumping kendrick perkins bad contract. You don't see his teammates upset about his decision - they are upset with the team's decision (front office). Also how come he has to sacrifice the most when durant and westbrook got every penny on their max contracts. Westbrook did leave 15M on the table by waiving the rose rule bonus but he would have been scrutinized to death an likely traded if he demanded the 95M since there was a huge talent gap between him and rose who was the reigning mvp at the time. Durant got the bonus money though cause the rose rule was grandfathered in on pre-dated extensions in the old cba. Serge Ibaka's contract was pretty fair since better players like joakim noah and alhorford make less money than him to be on playoff calibre front courts.

[dannyh8181]

James Harden was adamant that he saw himself spending his entire career with the Oklahoma City Thunder before turning down a contract extension offer and subsequently being traded to the Houston Rockets in 2012.
“I thought we were going to be together forever," Harden said in a sit down interview. "Russell Westbrook. James Harden. Kevin Durant.
When asked whether he would still be in Oklahoma City if money was not a factor, Harden said: "Definitely. Definitely. No question.
"I felt like I already made a sacrifice coming off the bench and doing whatever it takes to help the team, and they weren’t willing to help me."Via Hannah Storm/ESPN

Another example of the downside of small market teams and why they shouldn't be in the NBA. They are not able to sustain teams good enough to win a championship, instead forced to jettison off certain players because they can't afford them. Would have been interesting to see what the team could have accomplished with those three still together.

Dude your sooooo right. Small market teams shouldn't be in the NBA. Let's eliminate every team that is considered a small market team and let all those players become free agents. We'll increase the roster limit to 30. We're also going to add in the 4 and 5 pointers to make games more exciting. Oh and lets lower the rim to 9 feet so theres more dunks and stuff it'll be crazzzzzzy... Is the type of sh*t going through your head? Your awful man just a flat out disgrace to Knicks fans and your reach may even go as far as NBA fans in general. In which case your giving me a bad rep. STFU

[eksessiv]

Guys, stop talking as if he gets the full $52 million dollars. It's like any other job. You might make $40K a year, but that is not how much you bring home. At $52 million a year the GOV is going to get almost half of that. Then he has to pay his agent some of it. The reality is Harden is better than Westbrook. If it was KD and Harden OKC would be super tough to beat.

If you're going to compare how much he makes and call him greedy then you need to factor in how much the owner makes in comparison to Harden. It's not even close. The reality is OKC should have paid Harden. You could trade Westbrook and get back a premium role players and have a much stronger team. When they let Harden go for nothing they lost big time.