This June, the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship. The franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance, however, came back in 2012. The Thunder’s young and exciting trio of stars was the envy of the league, apparently, of one team more than others. Few could have predicted a 13-year NBA Finals hiatus. Even fewer would have said that none of those young stars would still be aboard when the championship threshold was crossed. Fewest of all would say that they’d all wind up playing for the Rockets.
Rockets-Thunder: A Soap Opera NBA Rivalry
Kevin Durant is now a Houston Rocket. He follows in the footsteps of his former big three comrades, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, in donning the red. Unlike those two, who were traded directly from OKC to Houston in 2012 and 2019, respectively, he took the scenic route. He went from one of the beloved characters in the NBA to the most hated man in Oklahoma by signing with the Golden State Warriors in 2016. It was long enough of a diversion to pick up a couple of championships during the trip. Long enough as well for Harden and Westbrook to leave Houston behind.
How the Thunder Got Ahead
As for OKC’s transition from that scintillating big three to their current championship roster, it was pretty scenic too. Rather than any of Durant, Harden, or Westbrook, OKC actually recovered the best assets from 2017 trade acquisition Paul George. In moving him to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder received the player who has leapfrogged the original OKC big three to become the undisputed franchise G.O.A.T. That is, of course, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
After the 2024-25 season, SGA has joined a list with only Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, arguably three of the four best players of all time. Those are players who won the Finals MVP, regular season MVP, and scoring title all in the same season. It’s no insult to SGA to say that his inclusion in such a list seems out of place.
The point is that the Thunder have well and truly moved on from 2012’s splashy big-three. So it’s a little humorous that Houston is now trotting out yet another member. No one can argue that getting Harden didn’t work out for them. He ranks as the second or third greatest player in franchise history. Arguing that Westbrook worked out for anyone always requires a lot of nuance. But maybe the third member of OKC’s 2012 NBA Finalist squad will finally be the one to get Houston to that same level and beyond.
How the Rockets Aim to Catch Up
Harden, or even possibly prime Westbrook, might have been better floor raisers than Durant. Harden is the “system” after all. But Durant has always been considered the best player of the three. Even at 36 (turns 37 on September 29), he remains one of the league’s premier scoring threats. What’s more is that Houston acquired him in a relative steal.
Houston sent out only one first-round pick in its seven-team trade for Durant. They did give up two quality rotation players in Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. Green even still has potential upside to be more, but he looked miscast in Houston as a primary creator. The Rockets’ additions more than make up for the losses.
Durant will give a defensively oriented Houston team exactly the kind of scoring oomph they were so badly lacking. His involvement in the offense will likely do wonders for the efficiency of Houston All-Star Alperen Sengun. On paper, this impressive Rockets team could pose the toughest competition to the defending champion Thunder. Though, of course, Nikola Jokic‘s Denver Nuggets or even Harden’s Bradley Beal–infused LA Clippers may sue that paper for libel.
For the 2024-25 season, OKC added former Rockets rookie Isaiah Hartenstein as their final piece to win a title. For the 2025-26 season, Houston has added former… Seattle Supersonics (it’s complicated) rookie and all-time-great Kevin Durant, hopefully as theirs. The two teams will once again compete as leading Western Conference contenders.
The Last Word
The Rockets-Thunder rivalry has been quietly building since the Harden trade in 2012. It featured back-to-back duelling banjo MVP seasons in 2017 and 2018. It survived through two full rebuilds. Now it’s added its first championship to the mix. Rather than call it quits, the Rockets are once again aiming to do something the Thunder couldn’t. They tried to win with Harden. They tried to win with Westbrook. Now they’re going to try to win with the most hated man in Oklahoma.
Photo credit: © Erik Williams-Imagn Images
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