There may be a reason James Harden wasn't intimidated by Khloe Kardashian's paparazzi stature when they were dating.
He likes to party, and the Kardashians are the life of the party.
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Harden's reputation as a lover of the late-night scene may have been the reason the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him in 2012, rather than chase a championship with him in the final year of his contract playing alongside Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, according to Basketball Insiders via Pro Basketball Talk.
The Thunder lost to the Miami Heat in five games in the 2012 NBA Finals, and it was assumed that Oklahoma City would keep its core intact and make another run in 2012-13, despite the possibility of losing Harden to free agency.
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But the Thunday might not have trusted Harden because of his off-the-court persona.
"It was a lot more about James and James' mindset, Basketball Insiders reported. "You're kind of seeing it play out now in Houston, is what the Oklahoma City Thunder were afraid of, and that is, if you rewind back to the NBA Finals run, James was kind of a ghost in the NBA Finals. In Miami, there were rumors that he was out late on South Beach."
That makes a lot more sense than the original theories behind the Thunder giving up on one of the best trio's in the league.
Pro Basketball Talk reported that OKC may not have been willing to pay a steep luxury tax year after year with the trio and that Harden and Westbrook had similar games, so the Thunder could get other assets to make them a more complete team.
Though OKC got starting center Steven Adams out of the deal, it's safe to say the Thunder didn't get the same value back for trading Harden, who was the 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player runner-up.
Harden led the Rockets to the Western Conference finals last season, but the team has imploded in 2015-16.
This season, Harden has been recognized more for his romance with Kardashian, that ended last month amid Khloe's claims that he cheated on her after asking that they have a monogamous relationship.
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