Welcome to the Tuesday edition of The Cooler, where there is no offseason. Let’s get to it:
*It was less than seven years ago, but it feels like 50 in many ways, that James Harden and Oklahoma City reached an impasse in contract negotiations that eventually broke up what might have been a mid-decade dynasty.
The Thunder, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook already more established in their careers and signed long-term, could not come to terms with Harden on an extension. The sticking point: OKC was offer four years and $55.5 million. Harden wanted $4.5 million more for what, at the time, was the max extension he could get.