Zombie Harden traded to Houston!?

[JfizzleBlazer]

ok, unproven players.

Sure, they mostly are unproven players. But that is what is scary about them, you don't know what to expect. Most NBA players given an opportunity can become great NBA players. McHale is pretty good at getting something out of his players.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
Houston sends two 2013 first-round picks (from Dallas and Toronto) to Oklahoma CIty, source tells Y!

You know, for downgrading from Harden to Martin/Lamb, OKC picks up potentially two lotto picks this year and CHA's 2nd rounder (which'll be 31 or 32).

 

[The Professional Fan]

OKC could potentially use martin's huge expiring to get better at the trade deadline. that option might be part of the plan.

Ah. Certainly will be. Did not know about his contract. Well played, OKC. Harden will be the classic case of loafing after payday. Guaranteed.

 

[RR7]

OKC could potentially use martin's huge expiring to get better at the trade deadline. that option might be part of the plan.

Have they shown themselves to be aggressive with big expirings yet?

This is a decent, ok, long term move, but for a team so close, it seems so much like a cheap, low budget move.Good luck OKC. Harden at least tried to play D. Martin....? lol

 

[BrianFromWA]

Have they shown themselves to be aggressive with big expirings yet?

This is a decent, ok, long term move, but for a team so close, it seems so much like a cheap, low budget move.Good luck OKC. Harden at least tried to play D. Martin....? lol

I don't know about big expirings, but they've been masters of getting assets out of cap space.

 

[HailBlazers]

You know, for downgrading from Harden to Martin/Lamb, OKC picks up potentially two lotto picks this year and CHA's 2nd rounder (which'll be 31 or 32).

Yea it doesn't sound like Houston drove a very hard bargin.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

ITS GREAT THAT OKC IS REBUILDING.



face it, they lost an olympian basketball player and a crucial part of their basketball team that made it to the NBA finals in his early 20s for a rookie + a volume scorer who won't be there after his contract expires. nothing more than saving money when they should be going all in. you don't fuck your franchise up when you're in your prime championship window.

 

[Natebishop3]

Bad trade. I think they could have done a lot better.

 

[crowTrobot]

Has his role changed dramatically since last season? No. Was he, like all star players, probably coasting in preseason? Yes.

2-17 game is some pretty serious coasting. might have just coasted himself out of a ring.

Asik suddenly got expanded minutes, so it's worth seeing what he could do with them. Rebound like a motherfucker, is what

i wasn't necessarily disagreeing about asik. agree he's an underrated defensive player. one of those 2nd rounders we should have kept.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Well played, OKC. Harden will be the classic case of loafing after payday. Guaranteed.

You may be right. A lousy team, a starter role, a bling contract... it's a recipe for retiring on court.

 

[Sinobas]

So I imagine that Houston now has certain rights that would allow them to make a better offer than the Blazers to retain Harden. We probably don't have much of a shot now unless Harden doesn't like it in Houston, or the Rockets end up not being impressed enough with him to dole out a big contract.

Any other options for next year? Monta Elllis is the only intriguing option I see, he has an early termination option. But there really are not any other high impact FA available. We might be able to bulk up our bench with guys like Anthony Morrow and Carl Landry.

 

[BrianFromWA]

from what I've heard on the tweets, HOU is just waiting for the trade paperwork to go through and will give Harden his max extension, which he'll sign.

 

[Blazinaway]

Holy shit! Presti don't mess around!

Boy, it's going to be funny if Harden walks. Houston must've got his approval to sign first... mustn't they?

that's the best Q right there, hard to believe HOU does that deal with no extension agreed to - suicidal if they did

 

[The Professional Fan]

What is Houston doing? Active is great, if you have a plan. Lin and Harden won't amount to shit. Promise.

 

[Blazinaway]

You know, for downgrading from Harden to Martin/Lamb, OKC picks up potentially two lotto picks this year and CHA's 2nd rounder (which'll be 31 or 32).

IMO real good move by Presti, they really could not afford to pay and got good assets back

 

[illmatic99]

Interested in knowing the protection on those picks, but this seems like a purely financial decision for OKC. Brutal blow to the small market teams.

 

[Charcoal Filtered]

The Dallas pick is protected to twenty for awhile .

Still love this move for OKC. They got more for Harden than Orlando did for Howard. The new CBA played heavily into forcing the Thunders hand.

 

[illmatic99]

They got more than ORL did, but still KMart is a chucker and Lamb seems like a really mediocre prospect.

KD, KM, RW is a terrible trio basketball wise.

 

[Blazinaway]

IMO when Harden declined the 52 mil 4-yr deal OK said FU and sayonara, I like that

 

[BrianFromWA]

the protections on the rumored picks. I was wrong about DAL being a potential lotto pick:

2013 first round draft pick from Dallas
Dallas' own 2013 first round draft pick to Houston via the L.A. Lakers ( top 20 protected in 2013, top 20 protected in 2014, top 20 protected in 2015, top 20 protected in 2016, top 20 protected in 2017 and unprotected in the 2018 Draft). [Dallas - L.A. Lakers, 12/11/2011 and then Houston-L.A. Lakers 3/15/2012]

2013 first round draft pick from Toronto
Toronto's own 2013 1st round pick to Houston (Top-3 Protected and 15-30 Protected in the 2013 Draft, top-2 protected and 15-30 protected in 2014, top-2 protected and 15-30 protected in 2015, top-1 Protected and 15-30 protected in 2016, top-1 protected and 15-30 Protected in 2017 and unprotected in the 2018 Draft. [Houston-Toronto, 7/11/2012]

2013 second round draft pick from Charlotte
Charlotte's own 2013 2nd round pick to Houston via Oklahoma City and Boston. [Charlotte - Oklahoma City, 12/19/2011 and then Boston-Oklahoma City, 6/26/2012 and then Boston-Houston-Portland, 7/20/2012]

 

[julius]

wait the pick is top 3 AND 15-30 protected?

So 4-11 and it's OKC's, anything else and it stays in Houston?

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

IMO when Harden declined the 52 mil 4-yr deal OK said FU and sayonara, I like that

ESPN is reporting that OKC offered 55.5 million over 4 years.....4.5 million short of a max deal.

Pretty ridiculous that they wouldn't give him 1 million more a year and instead shipped him out in a deal that makes the team worse now and in the future with the protections on those picks they received.

I wouldn't have moved Harden unless I was getting a guaranteed top 5 pick.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

wait the pick is top 3 AND 15-30 protected?

So 4-11 and it's OKC's, anything else and it stays in Houston?

Anything else and it stays in Toronto.

 

[illmatic99]

IMO when Harden declined the 52 mil 4-yr deal OK said FU and sayonara, I like that

It makes a potential title contender worse, and all for like an additional 2mil/yr. I don't think many OKC fans are as happy with this as you are.

 

[Charcoal Filtered]

Houston should be bad enough for a good pick. After signing Harden they can still sign a max free agent next year.

 

[Nikolokolus]

OKC couldn't pay him what he wanted, so they struck while the iron was hot and they could get a trade done under their own terms and will still keep their talent level at a pretty high level. Conversely, Houston got the star they coveted.

Good trade.

 

[Blazinaway]

ESPN is reporting that OKC offered 55.5 million over 4 years.....4.5 million short of a max deal.

Pretty ridiculous that they wouldn't give him 1 million more a year and instead shipped him out in a deal that makes the team worse now and in the future with the protections on those picks they received.

I wouldn't have moved Harden unless I was getting a guaranteed top 5 pick.

or pretty ridiculous that that he would not accept that good of an offer? Depends on the glasses one is wearing

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

or pretty ridiculous that that he would not accept that good of an offer? Depends on the glasses one is wearing

Why should he accept that offer? Harden was going to get paid 60 million somewhere.

 

[Blazinaway]

It makes a potential title contender worse, and all for like an additional 2mil/yr. I don't think many OKC fans are as happy with this as you are.

the reason I say that is that I think Harden is over rated by a good bit, whether or not I am right or full of shit will be determined the next few years

 

[Blazinaway]

Why should he accept that offer? Harden was going to get paid 60 million somewhere.

how much money does one need? would you rather be a serious title contender EVERY year or suffer in HOU for 4 years? For me I take the 55 mil and likely win a few titles, vs the 60 mil and mediocrity. Different stokes