From the land of complete and utter shock, the Oklahoma City Thunder have traded guard James Harden to the Houston Rockets in a multi-player trade that promises to shake up the Western Conference. 

Unable to get a contract done with their superstar and Olympian, Oklahoma though it was necessary to cut ties with the talented two-man. 

Also going from the Thunder to Houston are: Cole Aldridge, Lazar Hayward and Daequan Cook. Meanwhile, Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin and multiple draft picks will be headed to OKC. On the surface, it seems that the Thunder got hosed on this deal. One' could easily draw the conclusion that they could have gotten more from the 2011-2012 Sixth Man of the Year. However, there are financial implications here. Harden is said to want a MAX contract and the Rockets seem prepared to give it to him. Not sure that it made financial sense, under the salary cap, for Oklahoma City to pay him the MAX with Kevin Durant and Russell Westebrook on the roster. Remember, the Thunder just signed Serge Ibaka to a huge four year, $48 million contract extension in the offseason. 

Martin, who has averaged over 20PPG six different times throughout his career, will probably backup at both the two and three spots for OKC this season. They also received a youngster in the form of Jeremy Lamb, who was the 12th overall pick back in June. 

It is also being reported that the Thunder will receive three draft picks (two 1's and a second rounder) from Houston in the trade. 

As it relates to Harden going to the Rockets, they finally get that "star" to build a young roster around. Harden, who averaged 16.3 PPG in his third NBA season, will team up with Jeremy Line to form a solid backcourt in Houston.