NBA News 2012: Harden trade shows it’s all about the money

James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Victor Claver, and Pau Gasol (Photo credit: ctsnow)

In professional sports, it’s often about the money. And at the end of the day, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t have the money for guard James Harden.

So late Saturday, the Thunder, who lost to the Miami Heat in five games in last season’s NBA Finals, traded Harden to the Houston Rockets for guards Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and second-round pick. The Rockets received center Cole Aldrich, guard Daequan Cook and forward Lazar Hayward in the deal.

Harden, the 2011-12 sixth man of the year and a London Olympics gold medalist with Team USA, and the Thunder had been involved in talks about an extension, but the two sides could not find common ground. Instead of risk losing Harden as a restricted free agent after the 2012-13 season, the Thunder decided to make sure they got something in return.

“While I never like having to send out quality players like Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, this trade gives us a chance to make an immediate impact on the future of our franchise moving forward,” Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said in a statement. “James Harden was part of Team USA’s gold medal team at the London Olympics and is one of the most skilled shooting guards in the NBA. James, along with the mix of young players we already have in place such as (guard) Jeremy Lin, (forward) Chandler Parsons and (center) Omer Asik give us a very solid group of young, talented players who will form the core of our team.”

The deal cuts to the heart of the plight of small- and mid-market teams such as the Thunder. Can they return all of their top players? Are they willing to have a payroll that surpasses the luxury tax and are they willing to pay the tax when they go over? The Thunder have more than $200 million tied up in salary for forward Kevin Durant, guard Russell Westbrook and forward Serge Ibaka through 2016-17.

Just before midnight ET, Durant tweeted, “Wow.”

http://www.hoopsworld.com/james-harden-trade-by-thunder-shows-its-all-about-the-money/

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NBA News 2012: Oklahoma City Thunder trade should benefit Lakers

English: James Harden, a player for the Oklahoma City Thunder at ARCO Arena. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets pulled off a late offseason trade on Saturday that sent James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and draft considerations.

Harden was a major factor in knocking the Lakers out of the postseason last May.

The move for the Thunder was more about economics than basketball.  The new collective-bargaining agreement includes increasingly punitive luxury taxes and Oklahoma City is already heavily invested in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka.

The move will probably benefit the Lakers should the two meet again in the postseason.

Harden is a capable shooter and defender. In the playoffs against the Lakers, he was able to drive into the paint to either score or draw a foul.  Certainly the Lakers will have their hands full with Durant and Westbrook in the future, but Harden seemed to be the difference-maker in the series.

On paper, the Lakers have improved over last year, with the additions of Steve Nash, Dwight Howard, Jodie Meeks and Antawn Jamison.  Of course, the Lakers have to prove they can win even a single game after dropping all eight in the preseason.

Injuries have slowed the team's development, but the Lakers will round into form as they get healthy and grow more comfortable in Coach Mike Brown's offense.

The Thunder are still a major threat.  Martin can also shoot and get to the line, but he's not close to Harden as a defender or playmaker. Lamb's game is actually similar to Martin's, although he's younger and more athletic.

In the short term, it would appear the Thunder have taken a step backward.  If the Lakers can come together and stay healthy, the road through the Western Conference might have gotten slightly easier.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-thunder-trade-benefits-lakers-20121028,0,1924647.story

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