Sixth man of the year James Harden is now with Houston Rockets. Jamie Green/AP Photo
The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to the Houston Rockets, breaking up the young core of the Western Conference champions.
The Thunder acquired guards Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick in the surprising deal that was completed Saturday night. Oklahoma City also sent centre Cole Aldrich, and forwards Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to Houston. Yahoo! Sports first reported the trade.
Harden will become a free agent next summer if Houston doesn’t sign him to an extension by Oct. 31.
The Thunder had already signed Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka to long-term deals, and apparently realized Harden was going to want a bigger salary than they would offer.