Kevin Durant On The Original Harden Trade That Broke Up OKC 

It’s so impressive how OKC drafted 3 future MVPs and also impressive how they didn’t win a championship

People tend to forget, OKC didn't have to trade Harden before the season. They could've rode it out for 1 more season. It's always "what could've been" for this team

whatever opinion anyone has on KD, he’s definitely one of the few greats of our generation alongside Bron and Steph, they only have a few years left and we definitely gotta appreciate em

The craziest thing about this is that KD remembers exactly how many points Harden scored in his Rockets debut which was 10 years ago…

Makes sense that as a 22 year old, he didn’t feel like he had to power to go to ownership and the front office and force their hand to keep Harden. It’s really hard for someone that young to have that kind of pull in a franchise

Kev brings up a good point. The relationship the GM/Front Office has w/ the player is huge now a days with information being so readily available. If you want players to be LOYAL, the front office has to have a RELATIONSHIP to keep them. I think that's why the Bucks have been able to retain Giannis, bc they've shown the commitment and built the relationship with him to retain him. This was interesting.

KD played big part of building and developing the foundation of OKC for sure

People often forget how good ibaka was back then, he was averaging almost 4 blocks a season that team was a legitimate championship team even after harden

That OKC team was special.

KD hit the nail right on the head. Every organization is different. Look at the Miami Heat for example, they are all about winning using the team concept and does not rely on Stars. SA Spurs for years have guilted their stars into taking less money made their veterans publicly call out Kawhi’s injury. Not every organization is there to baby their stars!

Miss those 3 together 😕

I was a Seattle Supersonics fan from day one. It broke my heart to see KD and the Sonics leave for OKC but I couldn't stope rooting for him and I still do.

Love listening to KD talk. We are lucky to have him as fans

As a Seattle guy I’d love to hear his thoughts on his rookie season here and the process of leaving to OKC.

Daddy dirk put that whole team in his back pocket 🌚😮‍💨

I feel like back then it was clearly obvious harden was a starter with immense talent. These professional athletes are so locked in their competitive state they get tunnel vision and just think someone on the bench is automatically lesser than them. Then when it's finally time to come off the bench their ego is destroyed.

KD seems like a chill dude….he just has the unfortunate case of Twitterfingeritis

Sending James Harden to Houston was the biggest blunder ever made by a franchise. It completely dismantled QKC chemestry. Senegal, West Africa.

Really been enjoying the podcast. Let's keep em rollin🤝

JJ is just incredible how much insight he puts into these players and strategy I really wish one day he would be an analyst on TV like Romo is for football

Man this is the kind of content I love 💯

Had harden stayed in OKC. I don’t think harden would have developed the way he did. Still had the skills but not the stats. So his value and how people perceive him would be much lower.

Those questions are so on the point. Great show JJ Redick

After watching this podcast I had an epiphany. We always talk about LeBron and Steph when it comes to changing the game but we never bring up Durant. LeBron has changed the game in terms of player empowerment and growing the game on a international level. Just as Jordan did. Steph has changed the game in terms of play style and how to efficiently and effectively play the game to your strengths as a player. His play-style inspires young people and makes them believe they can do what he can do. Durant’s impact however is very different. In a lot of ways he is the perfect combination of talent and most importantly skill. There is no offensive weakness. Teams are now only drafting 6’9+ guys who can handle and shoot the basketball. We are starting to see it now, eventually teams will only consist of guys with attributes and skillsets similar to Durant. On a professional level, he has changed the game and required teams to build with players that look like him and play like him.

As an okc fan hearing Kd say he didn’t have that relationship with the front office and that they didn’t come to him about trades and free agent signing just makes me mad and makes it more obvious thunder did a bad job building around Russ and Kd yet they will both always get criticized about not winning a chip there smh

Kevin Durant is actually a good guy in person. I think he’s misunderstood for the most part.

I immediately subscribed after youtube algorithm suggested this to me. JJ seems to get the most honest answers from all the athletes

this is definitely the best channel to interview NBA players!!!

The kings stay catching strays lmao

Wow. Jj really be getting the people we least expected but want to hear from lowkey.

Appreciate greatness

Most 22 year olds in any other industry are likely interns or entry level employees. Kevin, while established, was still super young, so it completely makes sense to hesitate thinking strategy/team building as opposed to just going out and hooping. We've now seen how important relationship building is with potential/current star players.

Russ and Kd wasn’t a bad duo just our role players weren’t all that great we needed shooters

Idk I have mixed take on it some players honestly shouldn’t be GMs and actively make their teams worse in the process. Like in all honesty I think most GMs listen to the players because they don’t want to lose that player. Not talking about KD or even Bron.

Man JJ is so good at this stuff. He was prepared enough to know harden’s stat line in game 1 w/ Houston knowing this topic was going to be brought up

Love this guy!!

Basically KD admitting every signing now goes through him lol

I’m glad this happen because James harden will never be too 75 if that trade happen 💯 harden town 👍

Good to finally here him speak on it

I wish KD never left okc but I hope him and russ can make up one day more than I care about not having a title. These guys were my greatest influence on life growing up. And they helped out in the community when we had natural disasters (mainly tornadoes). They had a bond and no bond can be so easily cut.

Hindsight is always 20/20. The “stretch 4” player was all the rage 10 years ago. Ibaka was averaging almost 4 blocks per game too. No one knew the Curry era taking a million 3’s a game was on the brink of breaking the NBA, which Harden happened to fit perfectly in that category of basketball

Jj putting words in Hardens mouth Harden has a mini documentary about this he didn’t ask the Thunder for the Max

JJ and Gil really cracked the secret bball podcast sauce recipe! ESPN could never 🤣. This content is premo! Keep going!

very important segment right here folks JJ is clutch

“If you can’t beat them, join them” kevin durant.

…plus those OKC teams had a lot of skill. Just not a lot of shooting. Key injuries ruined 2/3 of their prime seasons. Same could be said for a lot of teams, I know.

that was such a fun team to watch

people forget that at the time it was harden or perks .. they ended up keeping perks cause they needed bigs to go against the laker bigs. wouldve been crazy to see how all 3 turned out together tho

When they lost the finals Harden said “We will be back “ 🥲🥲🥲

Ok KD I love you youre a King. You made basketball life for me! Love Vanja ♥️💕

One of my first games was when the Heat came to OKC. We were so high up our back was on the wall and I damn near fainted from being so high up.

One of the biggest “What Ifs” in NBA history. Imagine Harden, KD, Ibaka, and Russell all in there prime. I think they guarantee win 2 championships, maybe more.

I can’t get over how long kevin’s legs are compared to everyone else’s at the beginning of the video 😂

them okc teams was lit on 2k 🔥🔥

It's interesting to here his perspective on it in hindsight

KD and Russ was actually a good duo up 3-1 against warriors that’s insane. Just the role players and better bench would’ve helped.

As much flak I’ll always give him for goin to golden state of all teams I respect it a little bit knowing they let the real second best player on the team go over luxury tax smh

. (Love these videos featuring solid players) . The bottom line seems to be that KD didn't see Harden's potential, he says partly because at that point he wasn't yet focused on evaluating his teammates from that strategic point of view.

My heart hurt rn just remembering these days

The Thunder thought they was go get Kevin Martin but got Ricky Martin

KD acts real humble

I’m laughing at this camera angle and the seats that each of them are sitting in. Really shows how big KD and JJ are lol

I just like Kevin’s honestly here. He simply says basically it was all new to me and I didn’t view management as somebody I could just walk into their office and have a conversation or a certain say. Very humble and honest answer. Of course over time superstars with mega contracts now do have some say. For better or for worse case in point LA Lakers and LeBron’s input on picking Russell Westbrook as the guy.

People seem to forget KD is 33 now…

whos the random dude next to kd?

I was totally thinking of the kings when JJ asked if they were talking about the kings😂

kd fan here since 2012 finals , I observed that haters are gone slightly on kd , I'm very happy for that , I love kd no matter what from 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭 We really love kd , actually we have a group chat to support kd until the end! Sorry for my phrases , I'm not good in English.

If OKC really couldn't see the talent they had. Then they deserved to lose them all. I remember when Harden left. I knew they would never be as good without him. You could see how good he was. And he was already being compared to Ginobli. OKC messed up.

Durant is the GOAT and UNICORN at the same time

I used to be for a hard salary cap but I realize now I was for it to prevent Jerry Jones/George Steinbrenner situations where a big market team can just sign free agents and win championships. I never thought of a situation like OKC. If a team does a great job drafting and developing those players, it should be able to keep them and not have to trade them because of the salary cap.

Please interview SGA we have no interviews of him anywhere

If okc had a coach pop type he would of made harden ginobli than russ Parker and Durant Duncan but never happened

I'm a big fan of KD but going to a 73-9 team is one of the most cowardice things in NBA history

That ANGC hoodie tho 🔥🔥

That dude said oh wait... I gotta little juice here. Lol 😂

If they traded russ, that team would’ve been a dynasty

And OKC got absolutely NOTHING from that trade

Bro even like the year kd left okc they had acquired oladipo before kd left so that’s another what if like what if kd stayed with a russ who was at the the top of the mountain of his prime and then you add oladipo in the mix. Just crazy.

This breaks my heart …. Still bleed THUNDER BLUE tho . See y’all in two ✊🏽

You gotta try and get James Harden on a podcast

I think that is so crazy how he just went with the flow of it, but didn’t realize the L of it until hindsight. Meanwhile everyone else outside of that organization saw it as an immediately terrible decision. This really put some perspective on certain player thought processes. I hate to say it, but there’s no way Kobe , Bron , Jordan, Magic , Bird , Dr.J letting that happen.

I don't know if they could've taken out the Spurs followed by the Warriors if they stayed together... Those teams were as close to perfect as you could possibly hope for. But I still remember thinking that the organization was absolutely insane for getting rid of Harden when they did. They were such a young team and they made it all the way to the NBA Finals!!!! Just Run It Back!!!! It was so obvious...

I’m from OKC. I was watching Oklahoma play….I think it was Notre Dame. At some point during the game, they announced the Harden trade. I knew right then and there that it was over. The would-be dynasty was over before it really began.

Somebody had to go for them all to develop

If Okc keep harden they win at least 2 rings

Thunder line up lookin like the shield in wwe. Individually, they won mvp like the shield members winning wwe title. Just amazing to see something that is unrelated but similar in situation.

As a Sonics fan the Thunder trading Harden was the best trade in NBA history.

Kevin Durant joined a 73 win team in free agency. This is his legacy.

It’s one of the dumbest trades of all time. They had the opportunity to be GSW. They drafted 3 future HOFers and traded one of them away for literally nothing when compared to James..... It’s hands down easily one of the biggest blunders of all time. That teams wins titles and competes for titles because prime Westbrook, KD and James on one team? Sheesh.

KD is such a special and smart player, I just wish he could just ignore all the noise and not feel the need to "clap back" at everything. He obviously has the right and I understand not letting people talk "ish" about you, but I think it detracts and distracts and allows people to continue to take shots fair or unfair.

What if they kept that young team of super talent together for longer?

kd going to gsw was the cheapest move in nba history.

Why that clown talking smh, he asked KD a question not you!

One of the best draft team assembled...the front office messed it up.

0:26 exact reaction when he see perk name

My Prediction: these 3 will play together again before they retire Their careers started in OKc, they left, and their career trajectories were very similar (MVPs, scoring phenoms, and all 3 struggle as playoff closers). Remember this post! I said it first 😂

He’s like, Harden deserved it 😂

A lot of people hate on KD for going to GS but people forget how humble this dude is. At 23 he was already a star but he knew his place within the organization from a business standpoint. Just like he knew where he was when deciding to leave or stay in OKC

I'm glad that Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Jordan and the other guys from the greater days of B-Ball didn't run to other teams for more money and stayed loyal to the franchises and fans back then 💯💯💯

Even MJ wouldn't win a damn ring if he got Russ as a sidekick.