James Harden: Kevin Durant, Westbrook, Thunder Would've Won 'At Least' 2 NBA Titles

James Harden believes the Oklahoma City Thunder could have won "at least" two titles with himself, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had the franchise not broken up the trio after three seasons.

"Two chips at least, at the minimum," Harden said on the Earn Your Leisure podcast (48:45 mark.)

When asked if not having won an NBA title weighed on him, Harden said, "No."

"I'm still going to try to get one," the Los Angeles Clippers guard added.

Harden was selected by the Thunder with the No. 3 pick of the 2009 draft.

He joined Westbrook and Durant in Oklahoma City, where the trio played three full seasons before Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets in October 2012.

Harden started just seven games through those three seasons and earned the Sixth Man of the Year title in 2012.

Led by a starting lineup of Durant, Westbrook and Serge Ibaka and with Harden coming off the bench, the Thunder went to the Western Conference Finals in 2011 and the NBA Finals in 2012 but were eliminated by the eventual champions both times.

The Thunder then dealt Harden after they were unable to work out an extension with him ahead of the 2012-13 season.

According to ESPN, the Thunder's offer was $4.5 million under the deal Harden was seeking, and received from the Rockets.

"It's hard to say, because I was going to have to eventually start starting," Harden said about the trade. "'Cause it was cracking. I only did that because of the sacrifice as the team, and as a team it made us better. But I was going to have to start eventually start starting. My swag was getting there to where, my fourth year, I'm like, 'I'm not sixth man. I already got that.'

"But it was over four million dollars."

Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2016, and Westbrook was traded to the Rockets in 2019. The Thunder have meanwhile not made an NBA Finals appearance since 2012.

Oklahoma City could be hoping to end that drought for the first time in the post-Harden era in the upcoming spring. The Thunder currently sit second in the West only to the Golden State Warriors with a 12-4 record to start the season.