Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Houston Rockets guard James Harden, right, talk after their NBA basketball game in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. Oklahoma City won 120-98. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

It's the question that has seemlingly been asked on for ages: What would the Thunder have looked like had it kept James Harden?

Was it the right move? Was it the wrong move? Many questions haven't yet been answered. It's a to-be-decided in both the Thunder and Rockets histories.



Since the deal, two thing has definitely become clear: Russell Westbrook has emerged as a Top 5 player in the NBA. So has Harden. And former Thunder player Kendrick Perkins told Bleacher Report that Harden wouldn't have reached those heights without that infamous trade in 2012.



"No, because James needed his own team," Perkins said. "He wouldn't have been able to flourish and be the guy who he is under Russ and KD. So he definitely needed his own team to be able to do what he's doing right now."



Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick goes on to back up Perkins' wisdom with a point that some people just don't want to seem to understand: This Harden we're seeing now would not have emerged as a third option with the Thunder. The circumstances had to play out the way they did in order for Harden to grow as a player and ascend to MVP status. That's not a discredit to Harden's talent, but a realistic view of a crowded room of Kevin Durant, Westbrook and Harden.



"He worked hard," Perkins told BR about Harden. "He came ready to play. And then he would come off the bench and have a quick 15 in 12 minutes, just straight getting buckets. And we already knew that he was ready. There just wasn't room for him to really flourish like this. So he had to break away."