James Harden has finally forced his way out of Houston, and the former MVP is heading to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Rockets have agreed to a deal with the Nets that will send Harden to Brooklyn. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers are also involved in the trade. Here are the details:
Reporting w/ @RamonaShelburne: Brooklyn’s acquiring James Harden in a three-way deal with Cleveland. Caris LeVert, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four 1st round picks – including Cavs’ 2022 first via Bucks — and 4 Nets pick swaps to Rockets. Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince to Cavs. https://t.co/qM0ZDH4dH3
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2021
Houston had reportedly been seeking a package of first-round picks in addition to a young franchise cornerstone. While they did not land an All-Star, they did receive a massive haul of first-round picks and a solid player in Caris LeVert. They then flipped LeVert to the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo.
Shams Charania of The Athletic provided a full breakdown of what each team received in the blockbuster.
Sources: Full current trade:
Rockets: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, 3 BKN first-rounders (22, 24, 26), 1 MIL first (22, unprotected), 4 BKN 1st round swaps (21, 23, 25, 27)
Nets: James Harden
Pacers: Caris LeVert, 2nd-rounder
Cavs: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021
Obviously, that is a nice haul for the Rockets. Harden made it clear with his comments on Tuesday night that he was done in Houston, and the team ended up trading him for a handful of first-round picks and Oladipo. You can’t get a much better return than that for a disgruntled superstar.
The Nets are hoping to contend for a title with Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but Irving has been away from the team for personal reasons. No one seems to know if or when he will return.
