The 2012 NBA Draft is upon us, which means that NBA newswires are ripe with plenty of rumors, smokescreens and half-truths. It's difficult to know what is real and what isn't, but there's an interesting amount of smoke coming from the Oklahoma City Thunder front office when it comes to James Harden and a potential trade to the Charlotte Bobcats to secure Bradley Beal.
In recent days, the Thunder have been linked to Beal and the Bobcats have been shopping that No. 2 overall selection for some time. However the match-up might not be there if Alex Kennedy is right.
Oklahoma City likes Bradley Beal but Charlotte wants James Harden for the #2. It doesn't sound like OKC is willing to part ways with Harden.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 28, 2012
Harden has an incredible ceiling and would be a great star for the Bobcats to take if they want a proven NBA vet. He'd also come with NBA Finals experience, but the Thunder would be losing such an asset. The team is built to win as is and there's no need to change that unless ownership has told them to cut costs for the long-term. If that happens, realize that Sam Presti is likely working under an order from the top down and simply trying to do the best he can do to stay among the elite teams in the NBA.
Read more about the Oklahoma City Thunder and their draft prospects at Welcome To Loud City as well as here at SB Nation Kansas City. Be sure to check out our 2012 NBA Draft hub page for additional news and analysis around the league.