Presti makes tough but correct decision as the Thunder were due for a shave anyway

By Joe Manganiello

Experts banter all the time about how collecting valuable assets in the NBA is one of the hardest jobs a GM has to do. Well what about deciding who stays and who goes after a roster has seemingly “too many” assets – how hard must that job be?

That is what Thunder GM Sam Presti wrestled with for much of the offseason and through the month of October as he dealt with the expiring contract of sixth man of the year, James Harden. As the shooting guard’s value continues to ascend, Presti was left wrestling with the back and forth of “we can’t afford him” but “we can’t afford to lose him.”

James Harden could end up being a lot of things over the duration of his NBA career. Harden and his famous beard are already mentioned frequently among the top shooting guards in the league. His unique way of creating offensive opportunities – think Manu Ginobili with a dash more flash and a lot more facial hair – have him as high as the third best shooting guard in some NBA circles, even ahead of more proven players like Ginobili or Andre Iguodala.

All of that appraisal has been matched by a fair bit of push back, as growing feelings regarding “just how talented Harden may really be” have come into question. For every dazzling play he made in the post-season’s first three series, his atrocious performances in the NBA finals, often confounded by the elite play of Dwyane Wade, his superior at the shooting guard position, cast doubt on Harden.

Harden followed up the NBA season with the Olympics, after injuries to Wade and Derrick Rose opened the door for another guard to play in London. Harden averaged just 9.7 minutes per game, shot a forgettable .300 from three-point land and was clearly buried on the depth chart behind the team’s most experienced wings, including Iguodala.

Critics of Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook have begged Presti to consider whether or not Westbrook would be better served being “the man” on another team. That question is not all that ridiculous. With Durant clearly established as the best player on the Thunder and in the conference, Westbrook’s curious way of manhandling the basketball has rubbed many the wrong way. But, alas, Russell Westbrook is Russell Westbrook. After finishing in the top five in scoring last season, there is little doubt that Westbrook could do unbelievably well “on his own” as the best player somewhere else. The question simply remains can Durant and Westbrook coexist, which honestly might be worth the risk of finding out for the Thunder, as they might be the most talented duo the league has seen – outside of LeBron and Wade – since Shaq and Kobe.

What remains curious, however, was the suggestion that Harden could step into the starting lineup and replace Westbrook at point guard; as if Harden did not have his own bad habit of “ball-hogging” and forgetting about the three-time scoring champion on his team.

Further puzzlement arose from the suggestion that Harden might be better served leaving Oklahoma City to become the best player on a different team, suggesting he should choose to abandon his post as the league’s best bench player on the brightest roster in professional sports in order to become a franchise player somewhere else.

With one year left on his rookie contract, Harden has been looking for Presti to offer him the max contract he will inevitably get from other teams if/when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer. After laboring contract negotiations between Presti and Harden’s management failed to come to a consensus over the last month – Presti was offering four years instead of five and about four million dollars less per year than Harden could get elsewhere – Harden was dealt in the middle of the night to Houston for a large bundle of youth and economic savings.

Oklahoma City is sending Harden, backup center Cole Aldrich, sharp shooter Daequan Cook and inexpensive, third-year reserve Lazar Hayward to Houston. In exchange, the Rockets send Kevin Martin, lottery selection Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks (one lottery-protected pick from Toronto, one from the Lakers) and a second round pick from the Celtics to the Thunder.

A collective “Wow, really?” was uttered across the country, as millions of basketball fans woke up Sunday to the news that the third best player on arguably the league’s most talented team was traded. This is not a move that will be met with universal approval, but there should be an appreciation for the small-market team’s decision to be so pro-active. Presti did not wait too long, forcing the Thunder in a bind where they “have to” trade Harden (Example: Orlando, Dwight Howard). Presti did not trudge the contract issues into the season which would have invited cameras and constant media attention around Harden’s looming decision while also allowing Harden to field more lucrative options elsewhere in free agency (Example: Cleveland, LeBron James).

Presti instead drew up a play from his own playbook. Before the Thunder had reached the NBA finals or even the conference finals, the team had to make an incredibly strenuous decision regarding the future of Jeff Green. Green’s contract was set to expire at the end of ’10-’11 and with Westbrook and Ibaka in their second seasons and with a rookie Harden, Presti had to decide if the Thunder could afford giving Green a contract that reflected his value on the market. Green was a lengthy defender who averaged 15.1 ppg and 6.0 rpg in ’09-’10 and at the age of 24, he was set to make a killing as a free agent.

So Presti traded him to Boston. In a move that would have made many of his peers weak in the knees, he traded one of the league’s most promising forwards and a first round pick for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson. The Thunder turned the inevitable departure of Green into a NBA-champion center and a spark plug guard off the bench, which has had short-term and long-term success for the franchise.

Presti has displayed fortitude throughout his tenure in Oklahoma City, even in less highly publicized moves. He had the nucleus of Durant, Westbrook, Collison, Perkins and Ibaka sign new contracts worth slightly less than their full market value in order to help the Thunder limit their tax burden. He also had the team’s best players, Durant and Westbrook, remove any “opt-out” clauses in their contracts. While the Heat will have to deal with questions from the press regarding LeBron’s opt-out clause for the next two years, the Thunder have Durant secured through ’15-’16.

In Sunday’s move, Presti turned Harden and three lesser players who averaged a combined 15.4 minutes per game last post-season (Cook, Aldrich, Hayward) into three draft picks, a lottery pick (Lamb) and one of the league’s most natural scorers (Martin). But what did Presti actually do in the Harden deal? He adds a lottery talent at the shooting guard position in Lamb, someone who the Thunder never would have been able to acquire as low as they are picking these days. Figuratively speaking, Lamb becomes the team’s highest valued draft pick since Harden himself. The Thunder also collect Toronto’s lottery-protected first round pick, so that in a coming year, the Thunder will once again have an upgraded first-round selection. Throw in the Laker’s first round pick and the Celtic’s second round pick in 2013’s draft and the Thunder suddenly have quite the ammo in NBA drafts to come, which still remains the best way to build a successful franchise.

Then consider that Kevin Martin offers the Thunder many of the same gifts that Harden does on the basketball court, while providing the franchise with a major benefit off the court. Martin has averaged 19.8 ppg or more in six of the last seven seasons. Although occasionally stricken by the injury bug, Martin’s height (6-7) and range from behind the arc (.377 career shooter) will provide matchup problems for opposing defenses already trying to limit Durant on the perimeter and Westbrook off the dribble. Whether Martin starts at shooting guard or comes off the bench – his role has obviously yet to be determined – it is safe to say a healthy Martin can provide a big turn around for the league’s third-highest scoring offense from a year ago.

Martin also is a valuable contractual asset, as his contract expires at the end of the season, effectively handing over $12 million dollars to the Thunder at season’s end. A scenario where Martin successfully fills Harden’s sixth man role for a year, leaves as a free agent and allows Lamb to take over as the sixth man for ’13-’14 is both incredibly lucrative and efficient for the Thunder, while also keeping the franchise safe from the monster known as “luxury tax.”

Losing Harden will undoubtedly slow the Thunder down in the first two months of the season, but as long as the team is regrouped and motivated by February – and as good as Harden is, they will be fine by February – the Thunder will still earn a top three seed AND remain the western conference’s team to beat, both this season and in the long-term.

Presti has the world’s best scorer, an elite nucleus of talent, a promising young coach and the wherewithal atop this organization to allow the Thunder-machine to keep churning toward NBA supremacy. Harden was a part of that for the last three seasons, but proved to be expendable. The Thunder have positioned themselves so that no one move can destroy the team or derail them, made possible by Presti’s eye for the long-term. It will be interesting to see if Harden, his beard, his new found and sudden fame and his contractual demands will regret jumping ship just as the organization seems on the cusp of something special.