With four consecutive All-Star nominations now under James Harden's belt, the familiar narrative will strengthen: the Oklahoma City Thunder made a mistake trading Harden away in 2012. The 2014-15 MVP runner-up is in the midst of another impressive individual campaign, even if the Houston Rockets have slipped.
If the Thunder had kept Harden, they'd have three of the league's 10 best players—Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. No team has a Big 3 quite like that.
Still, that doesn't make the Oct. 27, 2012 deal a mistake.