The Brooklyn Nets are going all-in!
The Nets pushed all their chips on the table to acquire Houston Rocket’s disgrunted superstar James Harden, forming a super team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Brooklyn gave up its young core led by Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, multiple first-round picks, and pick swaps in the blockbuster deal.
The trade expanded to include the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
The Rockets then shipped LeVert to the Pacers for Victor Oladipo. Allen and Prince were re-routed to the Cavaliers.
The final trade scenario looked like this, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania:
Nets acquired:
- James Harden
Rockets acquired:
- Victor Oladipo (via Pacers)
- Dante Exum (via Cavaliers)
- Rodions Kurucs (via Nets)
- Nets’ unprotected first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026)
- pick swaps with Nets (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027)
- Cavaliers’ 2022 first-round pick (via Milwaukee Bucks)
- future second-round pick (via Pacers)
Pacers acquired:
- Caris LeVert (via Nets)
- future second-round pick (via Rockets)
Cavaliers acquired:
- Jarett Allen (via Nets)
- Taurean Prince (via Nets)
‘It can’t be fixed’
The trade which Harden pushed so hard since the offseason escalated quickly after his zoom interview last night.
“We’re not even close, honestly, to, obviously, the defending champions (Lakers) and all the other elite teams out there,” Harden said. “I mean, you can tell the difference in these last two games.
“Chemistry, talent-wise, everything. It’s clear. I love this city. I’ve literally done everything I can. It’s crazy. I don’t think it can be fixed. Thanks.”
The Rockets eventually caved in to his trade demand.
Reunion in Brooklyn
Harden is now reunited with Durant, his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate.
The Nets got much-needed firepower after losing Spencer Dinwiddie to a season-ending injury. An uneven start forced the Nets to mortgage their future for the present. It didn’t help that Irving also went on leave due to personal reasons.
The trade, though, left the Nets’ bench gutted.
They have three more spots to fill. Look out for Jamal Crawford’s name to be linked to the Nets anew. Crawford played for the Nets in the Orlando bubble.
Moving on
The Rockets, meanwhile, can now move forward from the drama that engulfed the team up to this point.
Oladipo will team up with John Wall at the backcourt.
The Rockets endured a volatile offseason with Harden instigating a ‘holdout’ in the training camp. That caused him to miss the beginning of training camp and their first two preseason games. He was subsequently fined for violating the league’s health protocols.
On the other hand, the Cavaliers got an emerging young center in Allen. He will serve as their center of the future with Andre Drummond set to hit free agency.
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