The Thunder have lost an important piece from their NBA Finals run last year.
Oklahoma City traded James Harden to Houston on Saturday night, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The Thunder received Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two 2013 first-round draft picks and a 2013 second-round pick. Along with Harden, the Rockets acquired Cole Aldridge, Lazar Hayward and Daequan Cook.
Oklahoma City reportedly decided to pull the trigger on the trade when contract talks broke down with Harden. Harden recently turned down a four-year, $52 million contract extension, according to Wojnarowski, wanting a max four-year, $60 million contract. The Rockets will give Harden that max deal, according to Wojnarowski via Twitter.
Harden, a four-year pro, averaged 16.8 points per game last season with 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists. Martin averaged 17.1 points for the Rockets with 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
The 23-year-old Harden was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year last season and was part of the gold medal U.S. Olympic basketball team.
