October the 27th marked the end of James Harden's Thunder career, and the beginning of his time with the Houston Rockets. Some thoughts:

  • The Thunder cheaped out by offering "only" $54 million over four years. Harden was eligible to receive a max of $60 million over the same time frame.1

  • Harden was really shortsighted for not biting the bullet and signing the $54 million contract. He would've made "just" $13.5 million per year instead of $15 million per year. On second thought, I don't know how he would feed his family on that tiny amount.2

  • Harden was right to hold out for the max. He is a max player with enormous upside. OKC found the money to pay Durant, Westbrook, Perkins, and Ibaka, so why not Harden?

Harden and OKC blew up something really special by not agreeing to a new contract. Trading your third best player after a Finals appearance doesn't make any sense to me. But sometimes the NBA doesn't make any sense. Besides, as a Lakers fan, I approve of this trade.

  1. OKC had already used the "designated player" provision on Westbrook, which is why they were able to lock him up for five years. ↩

  2. See Sprewell, Latrell. ↩