James Harden Straight up Says He'd Have a Ring by Now if Thunder Didn't Trade Him in 2012
Once upon a time, James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were all on the Oklahoma City Thunder together, being drafted within the 2007-2009 NBA drafts by the team. However, for a few different reasons, the Thunder shipped out James Harden to the Houston Rockets for a collection of veteran talent and future draft picks.
Harden and Westbrook, now teammates on the Rockets, believe that if the former was not traded in 2012, then the team would have for sure won a championship.
James Harden & Russell Westbrook in the latest @GQMagazine!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 18, 2020
If OKC doesn't trade you in 2012, James, would y'all have a chip by now?
Harden: Man, hell yeah!
Westbrook: That's easy.
Story: https://t.co/XjR5V4W18M
Photography: Sebastian Mader pic.twitter.com/AseOYB3KU9
The duo have a very valid opinion. By the 2016-17 season, the trio had split up, with Durant leaving to the Warriors, Harden thriving with the Rockets and Westbrook becoming a franchise icon in OKC. In the first year apart, they averaged a combined 85.6 PPG, 27.1 RPG and 26.4 APG.
Let this sink in: The Thunder front office drafted MVP award winners three years in a row.
— Alex Roig (@AlexRoig_NTTB) June 26, 2018
2007 - Kevin Durant (2014)
2008 - Russell Westbrook (2017)
2009 - James Harden (2018)
That is unprecedented.
Also unprecedented: Not winning a championship with that much talent.
The Thunder made NBA history and drafted three future MVP's in three straight drafts. If they had all been on the same team for just a few more years, just imagine the damage they could have done. Perhaps if you're a Thunder fan, you'd rather not think about it.