The Oklahoma City Thunder finally won their first-ever NBA championship as a franchise in 2025. An incredibly talented young roster led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got the job done. But this isn’t the first time OKC has been loaded with elite young stars in recent memory. In fact, their 2010s Big 3 was arguably even more talented than their current stars.
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden went to the NBA Finals together during the 2011-12 season. The young Harden was a bench player for the Thunder, but won 6MOY and looked like he would become a superstar. However, the team decided not to pay him and instead traded him to the Rockets. And Kevin Durant recently opened up on the move.
Advertisement
MORE: Kings announce Russell Westbrook’s new number with team
KD talks about the day James Harden got traded to the Houston Rockets
“they were so happy that me, Russ and James weren’t together anymore they were so happy I know Bron was so f**king happy we weren’t together anymore cause we were on their ass”
pic.twitter.com/BILb3HaVke
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 16, 2025
“What pissed me off is like Bron and D-Wade and so many dudes around the NBA sending tweets out like, ‘Congrats to my bro James, he got his, he going to Houston, he gonna kill it,'” Durant said. “When they were just happy that we weren’t together no more. They were so happy.
“I know Bron and them were so f**king happy that we weren’t together no more, because we was on they a**. Everybody in the league was like, ‘Man, James, I’m so happy you in Houston, man, you gonna kill it, bro, my bro.’ I was like, shut the f**k up. Y’all just scared. Y’all knew we was on our way. Overall, I was mad.”
Advertisement
Miami Heat small forward LeBron James drives against Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant during the 2012 NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
It’s hard to imagine that the Thunder wouldn’t have won a championship if Harden stayed, even with the Heatles around. The Beard, KD, and Westbrook all went on to become league MVPs. The demons of that trade were finally exorcised by the franchise in 2025, but it will remain one of the greatest ‘what ifs’ in NBA history.
—Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead—
THURSDAY ROUNDUP:Blue Jays not dead yet, sports world takes stage at Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and more
Advertisement
NFL:NFL head coaches on the hot seat heading into Week 7
NBA:League insider shares concerning update on LeBron James’ recovery
MLB:Dodger Stadium releases mouth-watering menu for NLCS
SPORTS MEDIA:Angel Reese steals show with stunning Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway look
VIRAL:Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon has bizarre moment to end press conference