NBA Trade Rumors: James Harden to Nets, Victor Oladipo to Rockets
NBA Trade Rumors: In blockbuster deal, James Harden is moved to Brooklyn and Victor Oladipo lands in Houston
Well, James Harden has officially been traded.
In a blockbuster deal Wednesday afternoon, the Houston Rockets traded James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a huge deal that also saw Victor Oladipo land in Houston. Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert were other key players that Brooklyn sent out to make the deal work.
In total, according to Shams Charania, the Nets acquired James Harden, the Indiana Pacers acquired LeVert and a second-round draft pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers, while the Cavs received Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, and the Rockets netted Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three first-round picks (from Houston), one first-round pick from Milwaukee (via Brooklyn), and four first-round pick swaps from Brooklyn.
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All in all, this was probably the best situation that the Rockets could’ve asked for. Houston acquired a boatload of draft picks (a key part of their steep asking price) and a nice young potential cornerstone in Victor Oladipo (if they could convince him to sign long-term at the end of the season).
At the same rate, the Pacers and Cavs entered this blockbuster deal and got some assets too. The big question for how this deal will ultimately look in a few years falls on the shoulders of the Nets. If they could win a title, or two, in the next 2-3 years, that would make this deal look good all-around.
However, that’s no foregone conclusion. The talent in Brooklyn is now in a place where there won’t be any excuses for the Nets. In fact, you can make the case that the Nets have the best trio of players in the Eastern Conference. Heck, a Kyrie, Harden, and Durant trio might be the best in the NBA – you know, when all are healthy and active.
Next. Washington Wizards: Salvaging the season begins on the defensive end. dark
The good news is that this national nightmare of “will he or won’t he be traded” involving James Harden is over. Now we can get back to some basketball normalcy. Question is, as is always the case in the NBA, is who the next disgruntled star will be?