Adam Silver: James Harden trade to Houston was a ‘positive thing for the league’
By Chris Walder
While fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder may still hold a vendetta against the team for trading away James Harden to the Houston Rockets, one man who is more than satisfied with the move is NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
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During a press conference prior to Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday evening, Silver addressed several questions asked by members of the media. A number of questions were about the sale of the Los Angeles Clippers and any details involving Donald Sterling, but one topic that arose was parity in the NBA.
As Royce Young of ESPN.com notes on Twitter, Silver believes Harden moving from Oklahoma City to Houston was a “positive thing for the league.”
Adam Silver said that James Harden leaving OKC and going to make the Rockets a contender was "positive thing for the league."
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) June 8, 2014
While Silver has no intention of breaking up teams, the fact that high-profile franchises in the league are dealing players does make him happy, per Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
Silver says the league's goal was not to break up teams. But he called Harden's trade to HOU an example of player sharing the league sought.
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) June 8, 2014
Harden averaged 25.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 73 games for the Rockets during the regular season. Houston was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. The team finished with a record of 54-28, which is nine more wins than they had the previous year.