A Historical Look At The Kevin Durant-James Harden Connection

By Joseph Crevier @JosephMCrevier on October 7, 2014

Many years ago, a team named the Supersonics existed in Seattle, Washington. Though the team was crowned NBA champion just one time, a countless number of basketball legends passed through. After experiencing perhaps the franchise’s most glorious years in the mid-90s, the departures of said legends left the Supersonics in a state of flux for nearly a decade, landing them the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

A 6-foot-10, wispy sniper named Kevin Durant was the prize of that draft, giving Supersonics fans hope, salvaging what was likely their final season with an NBA team in Washington.

Durant appeared in 80 games, averaging 20 PPG, earning himself the 2007-08 Rookie of the Year Award before the new ownership relocated the franchise to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Coming off a poor 20-62 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder ended up with another high lottery pick, selecting the young stud Russell Westbrook from UCLA with the fourth overall pick.

A prior trade also landed the Thunder the No. 24 pick in the 2008 draft, which turned out to be a kid from the Republic of Congo named Serge Ibaka.

The inexperienced duo of Durant and Westbrook stumbled to a 23-59 record as the two endured a long-lasting project to complement each other’s game. Luckily, this transition period was rewarded with the third overall pick this time, used to select the final piece to the puzzle: James Harden. Ibaka was bought out of his European deal, brought back to the States and the dynasty was under way.

Led by Durant, the core group of Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka fed off each other’s strengths, resulting in a 27-win turnaround. The former lottery-bound team was quickly emerging as the NBA’s next super team. Oklahoma City did not win the 2010 playoffs, but they did come close to defeating the juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers in a series that was initially considered a breeze for Los Angeles.

Following the 2009-10 season, Oklahoma City reloaded defensively in hopes of making a run at an NBA Finals appearance. The team came close, before ultimately falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals four games to one. Westbrook acted as the bulldog distributor, Durant the sniper, Ibaka the elite defender and Harden the knockout punch off the bench. Durant signed a max extension when he was due following the 2009-10 season, and Westbrook soon followed in 2011..

It’s also worth noting that the Thunder made their first berth to the NBA Finals during the 2010-11 season, falling short to the Miami Heat 4-1.

As expected, Oklahoma City locked up Ibaka during the 2011 offseason, leaving Harden as the last domino to fall. Negotiations began and carried on for a bit longer than anticipated. Harden demanded the maximum contract of four-years, $60 million, and the head brass refused to budge. Oklahoma City’s final offer fell a mere $4.5 million short of Harden’s coveted max salary. He declined and was shipped to the Houston Rockets.

Feelings of betrayal and shock set in to Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka as their brother and valuable teammate was traded away after they signed long-term deals assuming that Harden would as well. The Thunder have yet to make it to the NBA Finals again in the absence of Harden, leaving many questions surrounding the future of primarily Durant, as he will in all likelihood hit the open market in the summer of 2016.

There have been clear deficiencies in the roster in recent years, but management has failed to surround Durant with the proper complementary pieces. Affordable players like Isaiah Thomas and Pau Gasol were available this summer in the $8-$10 million range, but the front office was reluctant to spend the money to avoid the luxury tax, adding Anthony Morrow instead.

They are now approaching a dangerous territory as Durant will likely test his options, one being the Rockets to team up with Harden and star center Dwight Howard. Houston is reportedly going to actually use Harden as the lead recruiter to potentially sway Durant towards the Rockets, assembling their very own version of the “Big Three.”

If Durant declares his intention to test the waters in 2016, expect teams to plan accordingly to make a run at the reigning MVP. The Washington Wizards also boast a serious advantage as Durant himself is from the D.C. area. Either way, the Harden trade will undoubtedly come back to haunt the Oklahoma City back into irrelevancy in the foreseeable future.

Joseph Crevier is a New York Knicks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, @JosephMCrevier, and Facebook or add him to your network on Google.