Today in 2012: Rockets acquire James Harden from Thunder

It was October 27, 2012, when Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey agreed to one of the most impactful trades in the history of the NBA.

It was October 27, 2012, when the Houston Rockets agreed to one of the most impactful trades in the history of the NBA.

In that transaction, the Rockets acquired James Harden, Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich, and Lazar Hayward from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round draft picks (which became Steven Adams in 2013 and Mitch McGary in 2014), and a second-round pick (which became Álex Abrines in 2013).

Knowing what we know now, it was a small price to pay to acquire one of this era’s transcendent superstars. Since 2012, Harden has blossomed from a Sixth Man of the Year with the Thunder to a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate in Houston. Among his many accolades:

  • Harden leads the NBA in total points since 2012-13.
  • He’s eight-for-eight in All-Star appearances since the trade, and the Rockets have made the NBA playoffs in all eight seasons after missing out in the previous three without Harden. (Houston now has the NBA’s longest active playoff streak.)
  • He’s the only player to be an MVP finalist in each season since the “finalists” format began in 2016-17. (This includes his 2018 win.)
  • Harden is the only player to make the All-NBA First Team in each of the last four seasons.
  • He’s the three-time defending NBA scoring champion. Since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976, Harden is just the fourth player to win the scoring title in three straight years, joining Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, and George Gervin.
  • Harden is just the third player in league history to have averaged more than 34 points per game in multiple seasons, joining a pair of Basketball Hall of Famers in Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain.

The Harden trade was only possible because the Thunder weren’t willing to offer the full max salary to Harden at the time, and they didn’t want to risk losing him for nothing in free agency the next offseason. Rockets GM Daryl Morey believed in the 23-year-old prospect and was willing to make the offer that Oklahoma City wouldn’t, and the rest is history.

Eight years later, as part of Morey’s recent farewell letter to Houston, here’s what the veteran GM wrote about his future Hall of Famer:

James Harden changed my life. An entire page could be dedicated just to James. He not only transformed my life, but he also revolutionized the game of basketball — and continues to do so — like almost no one has before. The game is played differently because of James, and on every playground in the world, the next generation of talent is studying and imitating his game.

I can’t believe I won’t be able to have another strategy session with James. I loved working together on how to get his incredible Hall of Fame teammates Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook to the Rockets. I will be rooting for James to win a championship for Houston. It’s how this story should end.

Over eight seasons in Houston, Harden has averaged 29.6 points (44.3% FG, 36.2% on 3-pointers), 7.7 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. He’s led his team to the playoffs in all eight years, including a top-four seed in the loaded Western Conference in six of the last seven years.

With his latest selection to the All-NBA First Team, Harden tied Hakeem Olajuwon for the most total First Team spots (6) in franchise history.

See below for highlights from Harden’s first game with the Rockets, which occurred on Oct. 31, 2012 — only a few days after the historic trade. With only minimal practice time under his belt with new teammates, Harden had 37 points (56% shooting), 12 assists, and four steals while dragging his team to a surprising victory in Detroit. With the benefit of hindsight, it was a clear sign of what was to come for Harden and the Rockets.

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