For three seasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder had the best young core in the NBA in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Together, they helped the Thunder reach the playoffs for three straight seasons, including a Finals appearance in 2012 against the Miami Heat, which they lost in five games. Despite the loss, the consensus was that it was only a matter of time before the Thunder would have their turn and win a title for Oklahoma City.
But Game 5 of the 2012 Finals would turn out to be Durant, Westbrook, and Harden’s last game together after Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets in October. Since the trade, Harden has blossomed into one of the league’s best players, with eight All Star appearances, six All-NBA First Team selections, three scoring titles, and the league’s MVP award in 2018. Durant, meanwhile, played four more seasons with the Thunder before stunning the league in 2016 when he signed with the Golden State Warriors. He won two championships and two Finals MVPs with the Warriors before leaving last year to join the Brooklyn Nets.
Harden reunited with Westbrook in Houston last season, but they struggled to fit with each other, and the result was an early playoff exit. With reports stating that Harden wants to leave the Rockets, the Nets have emerged as a potential destination, with Durant reportedly recruiting his former teammate. Here’s how the relationship between the former co-stars has evolved since Harden’s departure:
October 2012 – Kevin Durant reacts to James Harden trade
Harden’s trade to the Rockets was surprising to a lot of people, including Durant, who didn’t hide his shock at the news that his teammate was headed to Houston.
Wow
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) October 28, 2012
A couple of days after the trade, in a press conference introducing him a Rocket, Harden said that he’s excited to be in Houston, and revealed that Durant was still in shock at the trade.
“I actually talked to Kevin (Sunday) night. He's still in shock. It’s a business, it happens that way. We had something special there. It didn't work out. In a business, you've got to move on. We're still going to be brothers.”
November 2012 – Kevin Durant, Thunder spoil Harden’s return to OKC
Harden’s return to Oklahoma City ended in a 120-98 loss to the Thunder, with Durant scoring a season-high 37 points. Harden, meanwhile, struggled and finished with 17 points on 3-of-16 shooting, and seemed eager to move on from his first game against his former team.
“It felt good just to be competing against those guys and finally get this over with, to play here and get it over with. Now, I can continue on with the season.”
Durant, meanwhile, admitted that he couldn’t get sleep on the night before the game, and still felt weird seeing his former teammate in a different uniform.
“Seeing him before the game and in chapel just in a different uniform is a little different. We've moved on past it, man. We're happy to see him, glad he's doing well out there in Houston but we wanted this win bad.”
April 2013 – Thunder face Rockets in first round
In his first season in Houston, Harden would be a first-time All Star and would lead the Rockets back into the playoffs as the eighth seed. As fate would have it, The Thunder finished with the best record in the Western Conference and faced them in the first round. Ahead of Game 1, Harden spoke to The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry about facing his former team on the road in the postseason.
“Oh yeah, it’s definitely surreal, not only being my first postseason (with the Rockets) but being back here in Oklahoma City. It’s crazy. But, like I said, it’s what it is. It’s still basketball. I played the entire regular season with the Rockets and now I’m here.”
Kevin Durant, meanwhile, reflected on the Thunder’s 2012 Finals appearance, which turned out to be his final game with Harden, but added that both parties had moved on.
“I definitely didn’t know (that) would be the last time we’d play with him in a playoff game. But that was so long ago. So much stuff has happened since then. We’ve got Kevin Martin. Guys have gotten better. James has moved on.”
He also dismissed the narrative that the first round series was all about him and Westbrook facing off against their former teammate.
“We're not looking at him as a friend right now. Of course, we all know him but it's Rockets versus Thunder. We want to come out there and try to stop whoever they put out on the floor. It's not about just James.”
May 2013 – Thunder advance after beating Rockets in six games
Oklahoma City would dispatch Houston in six games, but suffered a huge blow to their title aspirations after Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee in Game 2 and missed the rest of the playoffs. Without Westbrook, the Thunder lost in five games to the Memphis Grizzlies in the Conference Semifinals.
September 2013 – Kevin Durant says James Harden, not Dwyane Wade, should be a Top 10 player
Heading into his second season as a Rocket, Harden was already among the league’s best players. So when Sports Illustrated ranked him as the 11th best player heading into the season, Durant came to his defense, saying that it was The Beard and not the Heat’s Dwyane Wade who deserved a spot in the Top 10. Wade, of course, didn’t appreciate his comments, and posted on Instagram that he planned to use it as motivation for the coming season.
July 2016 – Harden reacts to Durant joining the Warriors
Durant’s decision to join the Warriors sent shockwaves across the league. Harden, who had just signed an extension with the Rockets, was asked about it, and while he admitted they had a good team, they still have to figure things out.
“Obviously the Warriors are a really good team … but there's only one basketball. You've got to figure it out.”
With Durant being a free agent, the former teammates had a chance to reunite in Houston, but the 2014 MVP ultimately chose the Warriors. Harden, meanwhile, decided not to play for Team USA in the 2016 Olympics, which Durant joined. But despite the missed opportunities, Durant was all praises for Harden, who he believed wasn’t being appreciated enough, and said that they were still friends.
“I have respect for every team in this league. James is a friend. It was just something I chose to do. I'm just trying to get past this whole thing, man. Everybody here has been great, making this thing easier for me.”
February 2017 – Harden stays out of Durant, Westbrook beef
While Durant and Harden’s friendship stayed intact, the same couldn’t be said of his relationship with Westbrook, as the two had a memorable feud. Harden, speaking to Marc Spears, said that he wanted to stay out of it.
“I’m on a totally different team now. I know them both very well. If they need advice, I will give it to them. But I’m staying out of it. I don’t understand what is going on. Obviously, they feel some type of way. It’s part of the game. Part of a guy going to a new team.”
April 2018 – Kevin Durant says it’s time for James Harden to win MVP
By this time, Durant had won his first title and Finals MVP with the Warriors, and he believed that Harden, who led the Rockets to the best record in the league, should win the MVP award. In an interview with The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, he also reflected on their time together.
“I remember working out in the summer time with James, 6 in the morning, really just getting together to work on our basketball games, work on our skills, wanting to beat the best.”
He also said that these practice games against Harden helped them become better players. The Warriors would beat the Rockets in an epic seven game series in the Conference Finals on their way to back to back titles.
October 2019 – Kevin Durant reflects on James Harden trade with Serge Ibaka
The Warriors and Rockets would meet again in the Conference Semifinals, and Durant would get the best of Harden once more. Golden State, however, would lose to the Toronto Raptors in the Finals, with Durant going down with an Achilles injury. A month after the Finals, he departed the Warriors to join the Nets.
He later joined former Thunder teammate Serge Ibaka to reflect on Harden’s departure, saying it helped him flourish into a better player.
“If James didn’t leave us, he would not be the James he is right now”@KDTrey5 and @sergeibaka reflect on the Harden trade that broke up the OKC Big 3 (@SamsungMobileUS) pic.twitter.com/i0IMBHH2KN
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) October 25, 2019
November 2020 – Harden reportedly wants to go to Brooklyn
After Harden and Westbrook’s reunion in Houston ended in a second round exit, it was reported that he wanted to leave and prefers to reuniting with Durant in Brooklyn.
Sources: The Rockets continue to tell teams that they plan “run it back” with Harden this season. So far, there have been no trade discussions between the Rockets and Nets. https://t.co/wHrTqvCPew
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 15, 2020
It had been eight seasons since James Harden and Kevin Durant last played together in Oklahoma City, but it’s clear that the former teammates still have a strong bond, which could bring together the league’s next super team.
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