HOUReceived
PJames HardenHouston Rockets
PCole Aldrich
PDaequan Cook
PLazar Hayward
Star before the leap · October 27, 2012
The trade that made James Harden a franchise player
Houston acquired James Harden days before the season. Oklahoma City chose depth and draft assets rather than extend its Sixth Man of the Year.
See where this happened in the 2012 offseason →The original receipt
Every asset in the deal
Each team panel shows the players and draft assets it received.
To HOU
To OKC20131STround asset+2 assetsOKCReceived
PKevin MartinPJeremy LambOklahoma City Thunder
#2013 Toronto first
#2014 Dallas first
#2013 Charlotte second
Why it happened
The bet each side made
The Thunder were protecting flexibility after a Finals trip; the Rockets were betting Harden could become far more than a sixth man.
Why history remembers it
Harden immediately became a lead scorer and eventual MVP. The return produced useful players, but not another star of his level.
The family tree
Where the picks and rights went
Selections, swaps and later trades are traced separately so a downstream player is not mistaken for a direct one-for-one return.
- 01
2013 Toronto first · selected
Steven Adams · No. 12 →The centerpiece of the draft return became Oklahoma City's long-term starting center.
2013 NBA Draft
No. 12
Overall pick
Steven Adams
Draft destination · OKC
- 02
2013 Charlotte second · selected
Álex Abrines · No. 32
Oklahoma City selected the Spanish wing and brought him over in 2016.
2013 NBA Draft
No. 32
Overall pick
Álex Abrines
Draft destination · OKC
- 03
2014 Dallas first · selected
Mitch McGary · No. 21
The protected pick conveyed the following draft.
2014 NBA Draft
No. 21
Overall pick
Mitch McGary
Draft destination · OKC
What changed
The consequences
- Harden became Houston's offensive engine and won the 2018 MVP.
- Oklahoma City received a starting center in Steven Adams.
- The trade became a lasting case study in extending a young core versus preserving flexibility.
Principal profiles