The bomb that the entire NBA world was waiting to drop finally exploded Wednesday when the Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden of the Houston Rockets in a seven-player, four-team deal that dramatically changed the landscape of the league. Harden joins Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, while the Rockets get away with Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Pacers and a bunch of future first rounds from the Nets.
This deal has far-reaching effects due to the number of players involved and the extent of Harden’s franchise-changing capability. Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers from the Harden trade, but let’s look at the details first:
- Rockets get: Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, Dante Exum, four unprotected first-round picks (Brooklyn 2022, 2024 and 2026, Milwaukee 2022) and four unprotected weak spots in the first round (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027).
- Nette get: James Harden
- Passengers get: Caris LeVert, second pick in the second round of 2023 (from Houston)
- Cavaliers get: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
Winner: James Harden
Disagree with his tactics, but James Harden got what he wanted. He’s on his way to Brooklyn to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on what’s likely to be the Eastern Conference favorite. Brooklyn was Harden’s first preferred destination, so he’s unlikely to regret the way he handled the start of the season in Houston. It’s going to be intriguing to see Harden adapt his attacking style to fit in with Durant, Irving and the Nets, but with three of the best scorers in the league in one team, the Nets will have a must-see in the foreseeable future. . .
Winner: Brooklyn Nets
The Nets now have three top-20 players on the same rankings, making them claim even more of the title than they already were. It really is as simple as that. The depth got a knock, but Steve Nash would turn around to make something work, and as we outlined James Herbert, the front office still has options to improve the roster. If the Nets stay healthy, they may have the best offense in NBA history (it sounds hyperbolic, but the Dallas Mavericks did it last season with far less star power). According to SportsLine, Brooklyn’s chances of winning the 2020-21 title have almost doubled by acquiring Harden. It makes you a winner every day of the week.
The Sixers reportedly were in an arms race with the Nets for Harden, and they ended up on the losing side. Not only does this mean they fail to add Harden to a team that started 7-1 before the roster was depleted by health and safety protocols, but they also now have to reckon with the Durant-Harden-Irving . Nets in the playoffs of the Eastern Conference. There’s the extra wrinkle that Ben Simmons now surely knows he’s made available in talks, which could disrupt a 76ers group that has experienced noticeable chemistry issues in the past.
Winner / Loser: Steve Nash
On the one hand, Nash could finally win a title in his first year as head coach. On the other hand, he will have to carefully navigate the strong, unique personalities of Harden, Durant and Irving for this season and beyond. It will be interesting to see what things look like after their first extended series. Godspeed, my friend.
Winner: Houston Rockets
The Rockets are likely to be considered a winner just to get Harden out of town so they can finally concentrate on basketball, but they also got a legal position for their All-NBA guard. Our Sam Quinn rated them pretty hard and suggested they pull the trigger for Simmons, but the Rockets loaded for the future with virtually every first round the Nets could trade, putting them in a similar position to the New Orleans Pelicans placed. and Oklahoma City Thunder in terms of future assets.
They also acquired Victor Oladipo, who was removed from an All-Star season for two years and would have to help them in the short term. He’s a free agent after this season, but you have to think the Rockets are going to sign him, otherwise they would have just taken LeVert as an asset. John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins should be enough to at least stay competitive this season, then Houston can reconsider its direction at a later date.
You can determine if the Philly package would have put the Rockets in a better position, but there is no denying that it is in an infinitely better place than a few days ago, making them a winner.
Loser: City of Houston
Houston fans are delighted with one of the most forward-thinking, successful franchises in the NBA since Harden arrived before the 2012-13 season. The Rockets should still be competitive, but the days of the 55-plus-win seasons are likely to be in the rearview mirror for a while. Depending on how the front office works, the Rockets may even have a complete rebuild within a few seasons. Houston fans loyally accepted their franchise when they drew the wrath of many people around the world, so it’s a shame to see their moment in the spotlight possibly come to an end.
Winner: Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs made some cunning moves during the season, and they drew another one by joining themselves in this deal and getting away with Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince in the process. Allen had a breakthrough season for the Nets, averaging career highs in points (11.2), rebounds (10.4) and blocks (1.6), and all Cleveland gave up in the deal was Dante Exum, with an average of less than four points in 19 minutes per game. With Andre Drummond as a free agent this season, they can continue with a young core of Allen, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro. Not bad for a rebuild franchise.
Loser: Taurean Prince
Although he left something to be desired, Prince at least plays a significant role in a team with NBA championship hopes. Now he will join the Cavaliers, who will likely be out of the playoffs for most of the season. Over time, the Cavs will want to give as many minutes as possible to developing young players, which means Prince can accumulate DNP CDs for a decent portion of the season. No one is going to feel sorry for a man who earns $ 13 million a year, but this is certainly not an ideal situation for Prince.
Winner: Indiana Pacers
Like the Cavs, the Pacers were an unexpected part of the deal and they selected Caris LeVert and a second round for Oladipo, who was apparently somewhat unhappy in Indiana. Especially with the appearance of Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis the past few seasons, Oladipo’s days in Indiana counted, so it was wise to get a good player like LeVert signed until 2023, rather than risking Oladipo would remain free agency this off-season.
Winner: Caris LeVert
Even Steve Nash admitted that LeVert is a starting lineup of the NBA wing, but he was relegated to a bankroll, given the presence of Irving and Durant in the starting lineup of the Nets. He does not have to worry about it in Indiana, where he will immediately join the starting lineup and see all the opportunities he can take advantage of, especially with TJ Warren after a foot surgery indefinitely. The Pacers may not be the title contender the Nets were, but they started well this season and have to fight for a top four series in the East.
The extraordinary favorite to win the Oriental conference that entered the season saw the Bucks’ attempt to trade Bogdan Bogdanovic fall through the cracks, and now their main competition has added a multi-year MVP candidate. Milwaukee probably have nothing to worry about in the regular season and may even finish at number one for the third consecutive season, but if they end up in a clash with the Nets in the post-season, they will get their hands dirty. full.
Winner: Oklahoma City Thunder
Since OKC has so much future choice, virtually every trade will affect it in some way. In this case, the Thunder have the right to trade their first round of 2021 or the Heat’s first round for the Rockets’ first round. Houston’s selection became much juicier with the win of the team that would likely decline with Harden’s departure. Miami is starting slowly, but chances are they will end up with a better record than Houston, which means Oklahoma City are looking at another potential lottery in a loaded 2021 draft class.
Winner: Trade claim
With Anthony Davis winning a title with the Lakers over the summer and now forcing Harden his way to his preferred destination, superstar players may consider it a blueprint to get out of an unwanted situation (cc: Bradley Beal). Harden was able to take advantage of the situation, despite having two more years on his contract, and opening the doors to even earlier claims from stars in the future. The so-called era of empowerment of players in the NBA is in full swing.