Harden on time with Thunder: 'I thought we were gonna be together forever'
It's been two seasons since the Oklahoma City Thunder dealt James Harden to the Houston Rockets, but the wound has yet to heal.
Harden was coming off a season in which he was named the 2012 NBA Sixth Man of the Year but turned down a reported four-year contract extension worth between $52-$55 million, a decision the Thunder gave the then 22-year-old an hour to consider.
"Nervous, mixed emotions, not knowing what to do," Harden told ESPN when asked about how he felt when given the brief window to accept the contract. "It was the biggest decision of my life. Most money I've ever made in my life. It was tough. I felt like I made a sacrifice by coming off the bench and doing whatever it takes to help the team and they weren't willing to help me."
Harden was dealt to Houston along with Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich and Lazar Hayward for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. He later would sign a five-year, $80-million contract and claimed that he would have remained in Oklahoma City if money wasn't in the equation.
"I thought we were gonna be together forever. Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant."