James Harden traded to the Rockets

[mhi]

Jonathan Tjarks has the last laugh in all this.

Why exactly ?

[Klomp]

That's the poison pill provision. It's only that for the other team, for Houston it's just 8/8/8.

Gotcha, thanks!

[SirHuey]

OKC improved.

[JordansBulls]

This is freaking ridiculous. Why would the Thunder do this?

[BaunceyChillups]

Are people being ironic when they Kevin Martin is good

dude is straight garbage

[Guy986]

Wait, so aren't HOU already paying Lin and Asik a combined 30 mil starting in 2014-15? So those two and Harden get 45 mil?!

You heard wrong. Hou paying Lin and Asik 8.3 million each for next 3 years.

No, that is how they count against the cap not how Houston is paying them.

And you care about the way the owner writes the check because??

He's going to pay them 25 million anyhow. Do you care if we pay them on monday and not tuesday?

What counts on the cap is what matters. The cap salary is 8.3,8.3,8.3.

[therealbig3]

He's a legitimate All-Star with superstar potential. LOL at labeling him as "just a bench player" when we've all seen how good Manu Ginobili is. Harden is basically Manu with much worse defense.

Basically Manu my ass! He has no midrange game at all and isn't half as good in transition. What's more, like 80% of his trips to the line come off of flops, whereas it's maybe 45% for Ginobilli.

Please, Manu is just as bad a flopper as Harden. Don't give me that 45% BS.

No midrange game by choice...since the midrange is the least efficient area of scoring in the game. The most efficient ways to score is from the FT line and from 3. And Harden last year was more efficient in terms of scoring than Ginobili ever was, if you don't include the 34 games he played from last year. Both of them are excellent playmakers.

And Harden is a beast in transition, I think remembering his badly missed layup in the Finals is slanting your view of him here. He was one of the reasons why OKC had such an awesome transition offense.

I don't really see much difference between Manu and Harden offensively.

[PurpleRooster]

Kevin Martin NOR Jeremy lamb are Harden. I think some people are selling Harden short. OKC will not be a better team and Lamb while a decent prospect will never be Harden.

For harden, while he left a championship team, this will probably be better for his career. He's too good to be coming off the bench. He's really going to shine in Houston. If Lin can be some of what he was in NY and they eventually trade some of there assets (of which they still have a lot) for a good big man.. They will be in business.

No. This is Joe Johnson leaving the Suns.


Monetary wise, yeah this is great for Harden. Winning Basketball games...no

THe Joe Johnson example is PERFECT.

This is a guy that can thrive as a second or third best player, he isn't a franchise carrying talent.

[wackywabbit]

Do you guys think Presti made a call to the Wizards for Beal? Wizards need a psuedo-star badly to escape the gutter and convince John Wall to re-sign. They also have a few nice young interior players that OKC could use...

[Los Manos]

Are people being ironic when they Kevin Martin is good

dude is straight garbage

If he wasn't an expiring contract then this trade likely wouldn't have gone down.

[deNIEd]

The OKC Thunder are a worse team right now. That cannot be disputed. They have likely lost their chance at a title. I cannot understand why they did this unless the only goal is to get lots of talented rookies and not pay them after the rookie contract ends. Small market...

I agree with this.

OKC did take a step back by trading Harden, but IMO Presti did it for the overall picture.

Presti valued Ibaka over Harden.
Presti valued Perkins + future picks + the downgrade from Harden to Martin/Lamb greater than Harden.

Durant and Westbrook are locked up for a few more years and aren't likely going to be players demanding trades within the next year or two.

While OKC took a step back this season, Presti is looking to set up the team to be even stronger and have an even brighter future within 2-3 seasons (when the possibility of Durant/Westbrook leaving is real...as they would be come UFA's)

[Yuri Vaultin]

Harden will be a hell of a player in the starting unit for Houston.

[-Kees-]

They still have 2 top 15 player, including the 2nd best in the game. I think they moved into the 3rd place of those teams, but not out of them.

[SCourGe OF GoD]

When's the last time Kevin Martin was relevant? He's almost perpetually injured, and now that he can't flop he's been rendered basically useless. Doesn't defend either.

Dont remember what year but at one point he was 3rd in the league in FTA

[RatherUnique]

Presti = Genius



Lamb will be a star .


Still, OKC is lame for being so cheap

Then he better become one after his rookie deal expires or OKC will be in the same boat 3 years from now since Durant Russ & Ibaka will still be on the books at an even greater salary.

[EscapoTHB]

Why aren't the Spurs and Clippers on the same level as the Lakers and Thunder again?

[TheToothFairy]

Come on people, Lamb has the potential to be pretty good, but a star? come on

He has as much upside and harden

[sunskerr]

Regardless if Harden is a max player, I still feel this is a bad deal for the Thunder because 1) I don't think Kevin Martin is a good player 2)Jeremy Lamb is a rookie

[Lightning25]

This is freaking ridiculous. Why would the Thunder do this?

Is it better to get something for Harden or nothing? That is why they did this. OKC won anyways.

[Kupchak9]

Am I the only one that notices that Harden is 6 years younger, has nearly a 10% higher FG% and injury free.