"No Golden State dynasty": Gilbert Arenas makes bold claim about OKC losing James Harden over $4 million

What if James Harden never left Oklahoma City? NBA what ifs are always fun podcast fodder. Gilbert Arenas went on his show to ponder what the league may have looked like if Harden never left OKC. He made the bold claim that the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry may have ended up with less hardware.

“If James stays, you can say, there’s probably no Golden State dynasty,” Arenas said.

Arenas said the Thunder made a mistake in not prioritizing Harden at the end of his first rookie contract. OKC was outbid by the Houston Rockets. The Thunder dealt him to Houston in a sign-and-trade, where Harden became a perennial All-Star. Arenas said:

“(OKC) was trying to sign Serge (Ibaka) and then (James Harden), not realizing he is the most important piece. And then you got outbid and you couldn’t afford him. All it cost you was $4 million a year, to keep him."

Arenas questioned the OKC management and staff at the time. He wonders how they did not see the potential Harden possessed.

“It makes you wonder, what are you looking at in practice every day?” Arenas said. “Everyone knew (James Harden) was a starter.”

Harden ended up signing a five-year, $78 million rookie extension with the Rockets. The future Hall of Fame trio in OKC of Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook was broken. The three made one trip to the NBA finals, losing to the Miami Heat in 2012.

What if James Harden stayed with the Thunder?

James Harden was used as a sixth man during his initial years with OKC. Imagine if Harden stayed with the team and ran alongside Durant and Westbrook. Perhaps Arenas would have been proven right and the Thunder may have stolen a few titles from the Golden State Warriors.

The Thunder famously pushed the 73-win Warriors in the 2016 playoffs. OKC was up 3-1 in the Western Conference finals, before allowing a Golden State comeback.

The Thunder were a game away from beating the best regular-season team of all time. They did it with Durant and Westbrook. Maybe they would have won the series easily if Harden was still on the team.

The Warriors also may have had tougher routes on their way to the NBA finals. In 2015, Golden State easily dispatched James Harden and his Rockets in the Conference finals on the way to its first title.

The Warriors dropped the 2016 finals to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. However, if Harden never left OKC, maybe Durant wouldn't have left either.

If Durant had stayed with the Thunder, then Arenas may really have been to something. Durant joining Golden State created one of, if not, the most unbeatable team in NBA history. The Warriors won two NBA titles and almost a third, but injuries derailed their 2019 finals against the Toronto Raptors.