James Harden Is the NBA’s Last Hope to Stop a Thunder Super-Dynasty

Every year, James Harden inevitably flames out in the NBA postseason.

Right now, he’s the NBA’s last hope.

That’s because the Oklahoma City Thunder own the Clippers’ first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. There’s a world where the Thunder win back-to-back NBA titles before winning the draft lottery’s No. 1 overall pick.

Harden’s Los Angeles Clippers are one of the worst teams in the NBA, currently 5-12 and the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference.

The 17-year veteran is the NBA’s last hope. The Thunder agreed to long-term deals with their young championship core this offseason. NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams are under contract long term and currently have the Thunder as the top-rated team in the NBA.

Oklahoma City is 17-1 – literally no championship hangover. Imagine a world where they break the Golden State Warriors’ 73-9 record, win the NBA Championship again and then draft another franchise cornerstone like Darryn Peterson, who has drawn Kobe Bryant comparisons. Even if they don’t win the lottery, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer co-headline this star-studded draft class.

That’s why Harden is our last hope.

Holmgren is only 23 years old. Williams is only 23 as well. SGA is a bit older at 27, but he has plenty of tread on his tires, especially with the team-style of basketball that Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault deploys. Insert another young, promising teenager into this mix and Oklahoma City would actually have the dynasty that many expected out of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and ironically – Harden.

The 11-time NBA All-Star is doing it by himself right now, and the results have not been great. He already had to set the Clippers’ all-time single-game record with 55 points to defeat the lowly Charlotte Hornets. At 36, Harden can still score in bunches, but he’s never been an elite defender and this asteroid is heading towards Earth.

Kawhi Leonard seems to have little interest in playing basketball these days. He only played 37 games last season and finally returned to the court after a nine-game absence due to a sprained right ankle and foot. At 34, Leonard will have built-in load management games at minimum.

Veteran point guard Chris Paul has already announced his farewell tour as this will be his last year in the NBA. His mind is already on Cancun and the calendar hasn’t even flipped to December. The Clippers never really replaced Paul George, as Kris Dunn, John Collins and Nicolas Batum playing significant minutes isn’t a real competing solution.

One way or another, the Clippers have to find a way to win some games. They won’t be a threat to compete in the loaded Western Conference, but they can do everybody a favor and stack some meaningless wins to save the future of the sport.