Money was the reason why James Harden decided to part ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder and join the Houston Rockets in 2012.
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Today, the Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the worst performing teams in the league that has consistently been finishing 14th in the Western Conference for back-to-back seasons. However, more than a decade ago, the Oklahoma-based franchise had one of the best young talents in the league.
From 2009-2012, OKC’s roster had a start-studded trio of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant. At the time, these three future superstars hadn’t bloomed to their full potential, however, we’re projected to be the best team in a matter of few years.
With The Beard coming off the bench, Scott Brooks’s boys managed to make a Conference Finals trip and an NBA Finals trip the very next postseason.
With all three prodigies being in their mid-20s, basketball enthusiasts over the world had predicted that the OKC would win a title in the near future.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Harden parted ways with Oklahoma City in the summer of 2012. The motive for him to do so – money.
“I already made a sacrifice coming off the bench”: James Harden
In the 2012 offseason, the Oklahoma front office offered Harden a 4-year, $55 million contract extension. Had the southpaw agreed to the offer, the then-23-year-old would’ve become the highest-paid sixth man in NBA history.
Shockingly, James turned down the offer and decided to part ways with Kevin Durant, Westbrook & the Thunder to join the Houston Rockets.
Why did the combo-guard choose to join the Texas-based franchise, over potentially winning a title with two future MVPs? For James, at the time, money was more important.
Turning down OKC’s $55 million offer, Harden agreed to a 5-year, $80 million agreement with Houston.
While talking about the same topic with ESPN’s Hannah Storm, Harden explained his decision:
“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,” Harden said.
The future MVP further stated that he would “definitely” sign with the OKC if money wasn’t an issue.
In the short run, it was a beneficial deal for Harden. He managed to get a starting role, evolving into a prolific scorer and the superstar we know him as today. However, in hindsight, had he not broken up the big three (KD & Russ), he might’ve had a title on his resume today.
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