It depends on a lot of things. 1) Am I contending right now? If I'm contending, I'm going to keep him around and push for a championship. Why? Winning cures all. However, this is in regard to someone like Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, or Carmelo Anthony, not James Harden...which leads into the second question: 2) Is he a superstar, a franchise player, all-star, or just a star? I define all four differently. Kevin Durant is a superstar. Andrew Bynum is a franchise player (subtract the injuries, he's a guy you can build a team around...not necessarily a contender, but a playoff team). Russell Westbrook is an all-star...definitely not a superstar, not a franchise player...but he's good enough to be considered a championship-level second scoring option. James Harden was just a star, in the role he had with OKC...borderline all-star. So, I'm not going to be THAT nervous trading a borderline all-star, especially when I have a superstar and an all-star sitting ahead of him on the roster. However, a big factor that can't be ignored: 3) How much potential does he have? Harden's potential, to be an all-star or beyond, is what would matter the most. You saw shades of it every now and then, and you got this idea that he was definitely a future all-star player. That's when you sit back and start to pick apart his game: he's an efficient scorer, a willing passer and good facilitator, and he's an energy guy that can play bigger minutes than what he was served in OKC. --------- If it's Harden we're talking about, I probably would have pulled the trigger if it meant landing a promising rookie and a pure scorer...so the trade isn't THAT bad for the Thunder (but I don't like Kevin Martin, so I'm only just trying to make sense of it). The only problem (like I mentioned) is that they are missing out on a facilitator that can actually draw defensive attention, and Martin is nowhere near the defender Harden is. Otherwise, a lot of factors come into play. If you have a gut feeling the guy is heading out the door, maybe it's best to deal him before he complains...to get the best trade possible, and to have your team set by November. The longer you keep him around, the closer you get to February, and it's possible he loses value as each week passes (unless he's playing out of his mind).