Thunder may have traded James Harden in part because of his partying

The Oklahoma City Thunder’s decision to trade James Harden after their trip to the NBA Finals in 2012 remains one of the most significant in recent league history.

Since the trade, the Thunder have not made it back to the Finals, while Harden went on to become an MVP candidate and make the Houston Rockets a contender in the Western Conference.

Several reasons have been given for the trade. Oklahoma City did not want to go into the luxury tax and decided to pay Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka rather than Harden. They also may have felt that Harden’s skills were similar to what Durant and Westbrook already provided the team.

But on a recent podcast, Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler said Harden’s partying may have also been another factor.


http://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/thunder-trade-james-harden-partying/296117