Once upon a time, three outstanding talents were drafted onto the same team. Only a few years later, the three evolved into leaders and stars, but in three different cities and no championships to show for the contributions they make to their teams. They had a chance to win it together, and are now separated, with each journey being very different as to how they arrived there.
It started with these three being on the same team in an NBA Finals run. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were the big time feature players on the Thunder in 2012, but James Harden hit big shots off the bench against the Spurs to propel this young team to the NBA Finals. It seemed like the beginning of a dynasty, except for when they walked off the court together in defeat at the expense of Lebron James' first NBA title. Little did they know that was the last time they'd put on the same uniform, except for in All-Star Games.
The first domino to fall was Harden. The Thunder traded him for almost nothing in return out of fear that they wouldn't be able to afford him. Harden went to the Houston Rockets and had an immediate impact, going from Sixth Man of the Year on the Thunder to an MVP candidate in two seasons. He led a rather irrelevant roster to 56 wins and a Conference Finals appearance, and this season the team is poised to be a big time threat in the Western Conference again.
Back in Oklahoma City, the Thunder continued to roll in Harden's absence. Durant won the MVP Award in 2014, only for their efforts to return to the Finals fall short against the always consistent Spurs. Following his MVP season, Durant barely played in 2015, leading Westbrook to have his own coming-out party. The ridiculously athletic point guard turned into a triple-double machine in Durant's absence, but the team could not make the playoffs without Durant's contribution.
2016 was where everything changed. The Thunder had their ups and downs in 2016, but managed to get to the Conference Finals with a lot of momentum, led by very mature versions of Westbrook and Durant. Together, they built a 3-1 lead on the Golden State Warriors, a team boasting a 73-9 regular season record as well as two time reigning MVP Stephen Curry, only to blow the series in seven games. Not the result these stars were expecting.
It was then when Durant said "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." Not even a month after losing this series, Durant abandoned the Thunder and joined forces with Curry and the Warriors to form one of the most talented teams in NBA History. This left Westbrook in OKC, and a heated rivalry for years to come between the two. Durant has helped contribute to the Warriors again having the best record in the league this season, while Westbrook is a leading MVP candidate and averaging a triple-double in the process.
Behind Lebron James, Durant, Westbrook, and Harden are debatably the three next best players in the NBA. The presence they have on their respective teams is uncanny, and all three are at the top of the MVP conversation and are leading playoff runs. As much as you can't think about hindsight, it is hard to refute how good the Thunder could've been if these three had stayed intact.
So now, we're looking at a league that these three players have helped shape. Each of these three have a signature identity to them (i.e. The Beard for Harden, The Triple-double machine for Westbrook, and Durant as the now traitor). The story of how each player came up and developed into a superstar is unique on its own, but now basketball fans could never be able to experience what a team with all three of these stars would be like.
