So this afternoon I had started writing an article about James Harden and Bradley Beal. The idea of the article was going to be that if you’re a contending team (Sixers, Nets) you should prioritize taking Beal from Washington over acquiring Harden.
It was amusing looking back for me to assume after last night’s press conference that the James Harden experience was going to reach its boiling point this afternoon.
It has finally happened. James Harden has been traded Houston to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team blockbuster trade including the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers.
Let’s breakdown the deal for each team.
Brooklyn Nets
Acquired: James Harden
Traded: Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, 3 BKN first-rounders (22, 24, 26), 4 BKN 1st round swaps (21, 23, 25, 27)
Well they finally pulled the trigger. After months of speculation, Brooklyn finally has their third star to play alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. I don’t imagine this is how Brooklyn thought they would get to this point though.
Currently, we don’t know when Irving will be back. He has been out due to personal reasons since last week and isn’t expected to return this week. There are rampant rumors about the reasons he has been missing from the team.
How much does Harden raise their ceiling? Does it make them worse? Harden has been a disaster lately in Houston, and basically forced his way out with a scathing press conference last night that had his Rockets teammates basically kicking him on the way out.
It’s been a joke of a season so far from the beginning for Harden. From the strip club antics to last night’s presser. Will he turn into a model citizen next to KD? Are these the first superstar teammates he’ll get along with?
Time will tell how Irving feels about this trade. Both Irving and Harden have seemed particularly unhappy lately and now they must build chemistry and trust together on the fly to turn this Nets team into a true contender. This team could be a ticking time bomb chemistry-wise.
When it comes to having three superstars, one of them always has to sacrifice for the team to succeed. Who among this group will be willing to sacrifice their role on offense to ensure the betterment of the team?
It won’t be Kevin Durant. He continues to play at an elite level and there was never a question who’s team this should be. So is it Harden or Irving? There is no way they can make both of their iso-heavy styles work, so is Nash going to try and employ a poor man’s Golden State and take advantage of their shooting? Will they play seperately? Could Harden come off the bench again?
This team could be amazing if these guys all change their play styles slightly to fit each other. That’s incredibly optimistic, but it’s true. Or it could explode in the next few months. But there is a lot of elite talent in this lineup. Time will tell. It’s going to be fun to watch no matter what.
Houston Rockets
Acquired: 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)
Traded: James Harden
In a vacuum, this looks like an amazing return on a superstar. This is one of the most significant hauls of draft compensation ever acquired in a trade. Exum and Kurucs are nothing more than role players, but turning Caris Levert into Victor Oladipo was a shrewd move by the Rockets front office.
Oladipo is a free agent at the end of the year and has looked like he was regaining his all-star form from two-years ago in Indiana as of late. He’s averaging 20 PPG and will be really interesting next to John Wall and Christian Wood.
This move isn’t about this year though, it was about the future. They are loaded with picks and have two potential superstars on the roster in Wood and Oladipo. And most importantly they can move forward from the Harden debacle. It clearly had an effect on the overall psyche of the team and now they can try and build a winning team in Houston.
The only reason this trade could have been more successful is because I believe they made the wrong deal. If Ben Simmons was truly on the table, I find it really difficult to pass up on a potential top 10 NBA player. But maybe Morey was never serious about pulling the trigger. The way the Sixers have been playing, I don’t blame him.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Acquired: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
Traded: Dante Exum, 1 MIL first (22, unprotected)
Wow. I’m not going to lie, I was shocked to see my Cavs involved in this deal, but they are HUGE winners. Don’t mind the fact that they now basically have 6 bigs on this roster (this spells doom for either Drummond or Love, maybe even both). Jarett Allen is under 23 and joins an impressive young core of players with Garland, Okoro and Sexton.
The Cavs have real pieces to build around now. Not to mention Taurean Prince might not be exceptional at anything, but he provides them with even more wing depth than before which is the biggest way they could improve this roster. They have foundational pieces at Guard, on the wing and at Center. Now it’s time to win some games and keep building.
The Cavs snuck in here and snagged a real building block for the future on the cheap. Great move.
Indiana Pacers
Acquired: Caris LeVert, 2nd rounder
Traded: Victor Oladipo
The Pacers weren’t likely to keep Oladipo beyond this season. With doubts around him returning to All-Star form, there clearly wasn’t a big trade market for him. But, getting back Levert gives them a younger, most cost-controlled asset going forward and allows them to give the keys over to Malcolm Brogdon and Aaron Holiday.
Jake Majka is the co-host of Happy Hour Hoops. You can listen to episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.