Harden looked like a bum in the playoffs. No way is he a primary piece to a team. Please don't overpay this guy.
Ridiculous. He was not a bum in the playoffs. He performed poorly in the finals but OKC was a mess that entire series. Harden was on fire in every other round. He is young & has crazy upside. He isn't the primary piece but he is a remarkable talent.
And what kind of player did he look like in the quarterfinals, semi finals and conference finals? He had one bad finals appearance where the rest of his team was a mess also.
I'm not convinced we will get him unless we trade for him. But maybe Morey is floating the possibility of a max offer sheet as leverage in trade negotiations with OKC. Martin would be a cheaper option for them than Harden and we have other inexpensive assets we can provide as well.
Harden would be nice but they're not going to trade him. They'll match his 4-year max offer and be done with it. That is if they can't negotiate a home team discount on a 5-year deal first.
Harden is def NOT a max player but he is a CLUTCH player.. see Spurs game 5 for proof i hate that he is a flopper <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UgoOS1FGcmw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Harden isn't a max player, first option kind of guy....I think he can be the second option on a good team...possibly a championship team. If he can be had w/o a max then you have to go for it.
Not so fast - here's the math on why a small market team like OKC can't afford him: http://newsok.com/thunder-signing-james-harden-might-be-impossible/article/3708684 Thunder signing James Harden 'might' be impossible To keep the franchise under the luxury tax, the decision of letting the popular Harden leave OKC might be necessary Sam Presti didn't say that signing James Harden would be impossible. It just seemed that way. On the day that the Thunder held a press conference to tout the deal done with big man Serge Ibaka, the focus predictably turned to Harden. Signing Ibaka last month meant that three-fourths of the Thunder's young and talented core was secure. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Ibaka are all under contract beyond next season. So, what about Harden? “James is somebody we value,” Presti said Monday afternoon. “We think he's an important part to what we're trying to do with our team and we're hopeful that he'll be with us.” No doubt about that. Harden is super talented, a rare combination of shooter, slasher and distributor. His offensive skills provide an amazing complement to those of Durant and Westbrook. “By the same token, we've been very upfront and transparent with everybody that we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement,” the Thunder general manager continued. “I know we'd love to have him here. I think James would like to be here as well. But at the end of the day ... you have to find a way to make it work for everybody.” Notice those qualifiers in there? By the same token? But? You don't have to read far between the lines to realize the reality — striking a deal with Harden is going to be like walking uphill on an icy sidewalk. Darn near impossible. The deadline to sign him is Oct. 31, so there's still a lot of time to hammer out the details. But Presti seems to be laying the groundwork for what will happen when a deal doesn't get done — Harden will become a restricted free agent next summer, some team will offer him an exorbitant amount of money that the Thunder won't be able to match, and Harden will be playing for another team after this season. The problem is the luxury tax. In the 2013-14 season, when the new contracts for Ibaka and Harden would begin, the luxury tax would kick in once a team's combined player salaries reach $72 million. The Thunder already has $53.9 million committed to Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins for that season. The team could amnesty Perk, but unless some of these newly acquired bigs grow a serious nasty streak, I wouldn't recommend it. But even if the Thunder ultimately cuts ties with Perkins, Harden would still have to sign for $10 million a year or so for the team to stay out of luxury-tax trouble. And even then, it might exceed the limit. Do that, and the consequences are serious. Go over by $9 million — which the Thunder likely would if it pays Harden what he's expected to be worth on the open market — and the Thunder would owe $14.5 million in luxury tax. Add that to the salaries, and the team would be on the hook for nearly $100 million. In any market, that's a big chunk of change for an NBA franchise. In Oklahoma City, that level of financial obligation could be crippling. That's a lesson Presti learned in San Antonio. He was with the Spurs when they had to make some difficult and unpopular decisions because of finances. In 2003, Stephen Jackson became a darling in San Antonio. He endeared himself to Spurs fans by making big shot after big shot in the playoffs, capped with several 3-pointers down the stretch in the championship-clinching game of the Finals. With Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili already on the roster, the Spurs offered Jackson a three-year, $10 million deal after the season. He walked. Fans freaked. What the Spurs did was not popular, but because they are a small-market franchise, they have made a commitment to be frugal about finances. That's one of the reasons they've been able to maintain success over several decades. Short-term sacrifices (and PR hits) for long-term stability. You'd better believe Presti will do the same with the Thunder. That reality might be starting to dawn on Thunder fans, but Monday afternoon, it seemed to have already set in with those close to the situation. As soon as the subject of Harden's contract arose, Ibaka and Thunder coach Scott Brooks went completely and totally stone faced. Will signing Harden be impossible. Sure looked and sounded that way.
