The Thunder had until midnight ET Wednesday to sign Harden to an extension or he would have entered restricted free agency next summer. At that point, they would have had the right to match any offer he received from another team, but that likely would have a maximum offer that would have put the Thunder over the luxury tax threshold in the first year of the new “supertax.”
The Rockets are expected to offer a maximum contract extension to Harden, who immediately becomes the best player on a roster filled with young, unproven talent. He figures to start alongside Jeremy Lin in Houston’s backcourt.
“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 Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik give us a very solid group of young, talented players who will form the core of our team.”
In addition to Martin’s expiring deal, Rockets GM Daryl Morey had a surplus of young players and draft picks he stockpiled this summer in an unsuccessful attempt to pry All-Star center Dwight Howard away from the Orlando Magic.
(RELATED: The top 10 draft prospects for 2013)
Last season, Harden averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 49 percent overall, 39 percent from the arc and nearly 85 percent from the line. All of those numbers are career highs.
Martin makes nearly $13 million but is in the final year of his contract. A solid scorer who never has played on a consistent winner, he likely will keep the shooting guard position warm for Lamb, who was the 12th pick in this year’s draft.
Last season, Martin averaged 17.1 points, his lowest figure since the 2005-06 season. It ended a streak of five seasons in which he averaged at least 19.8 points. The eight-year veteran has career norms of 18.4 points and 44 percent shooting, including nearly 38 percent from the arc.
Martin has played in just six playoff games, all in 2006. Harden has played in 43 in three seasons.
I know people are saying the Thunder broke up their core, but no one ever asks a very simple question. Did Harden want to be the 6th man? He has the potential to be a star, and there isn’t enough of the ball to go around for him to do more in OKC. Thats why I think the deal was perfect. Harden gets his own team and OKC gets a great shooter in Martin coming off the bench (and even though he is streaky, the man averages more than 18 ppg during his career and has the quickness to get to the rim). Maynor is back, so the team doesn’t need Harden’s playmaking, and their bench is deeper than before with the included addition of Lamb and drafting of Jones.
Please. This is a GREAT trade for Oklahoma City. If Cleveland had taken Sam Presti from San Antonio instead of that incompetent idiot Danny Ferry, Cleveland would have multiple titles by now, and James would still be in Cleveland.
from what i read in other outlets, OKC and Harden
were just $4.5M apart. so it begs the question:
was that worth leaving on the table to go to a rebuilding
program like the Rockets? was it worth leaving a chance
to contend for seasons of losses?
Some guys like winning. Some guys like money. This is the league now – Brook Lopez makes as much money as LeBron James. The mistake was making Perkins and Ibaka eight-figure guys, which they’re not.
i see your point and it is true.
just wanted to raise a point on: “This is the league now…”
i think it goes back to the CBA. in OKC, you have a model
of a small-market team that has to break it’s championship-contending
core because of the financial hits.
but you have LAL getting a 2-time MVP and a multi-DPOY winner
for, technically, Bynum.
can’t say i’m an OKC fan, but i do root for small markets. i guess this, to me,
is a pretty evident case to push for more parity in the league.
Hasn’t it always been about $? Michael Jordan made over $30 million his last two years, he didn’t take a discount (and yes, I do think he was worth it). We should not blame players for taking extra money to go somewhere else, whether it is $16million, $6million, or $600k. Also, wouldn’t you react the same way after just being locked out by the owners? No player should ever feel pressured to take a home team discount. Plus, since the Rockets can give him a 5-year deal versus a 4-year if he were to be signed as RFA the difference is actually closer to $24million. Anyone who would turn down an extra $24 million (and yes, I know it is 5 years versus 4) is either lying to themselves or they can not comprehend what having an extra $24million in guaranteed money actually means. If we blame Harden for putting $ in front of a championship we have to also blame about 99% of all professional athletes. Should I blame Derrick Rose, my favorite player, for taking advantage of the new rule that gave him a higher a max deal because of his MVP even though it hurts the team cap moving forward? No, I shouldn’t, no one should. The average person changes jobs between 5-10 times in their professional careers, and I’m guessing most often it is to move up in title and move up in salary. Just because they play sports does not mean a championship should be any more important to them than it is to us in getting a new job.