Blockbuster 4-Team Trade Sends James Harden to Brooklyn Nets

James Harden with Houston Rockets in 2016
James Harden with Houston Rockets in 2016. Photo by Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock (5613421g)

Superstar guard James Harden finally got his wish. According to multiple reports, the Houston Rockets traded Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a massive trade that also included the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.

The trade was finalized on Wednesday night and came after Harden pushed for Rockets exit for the better part of the offseason and publicly expressed his unhappiness in recent days.

In exchange for parting ways with one of the best players in the NBA in recent years, the Rockets received a big package that was headlined by the Nets’ three unprotected first-round draft picks in 2022, 2024, and 2026, as well as four pick swaps. Houston also got Pacers All-Star Victor Oladipo, Brooklyn forward Rodions Kurucs, Cavs guard Dante Exum, and a 2022 first-rounder from Cleveland via the Milwaukee Bucks.

Cleveland landed center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince from Brooklyn in the trade, while Indiana walked away with Nets talented guard Caris LeVert, who was initially supposed to go to Houston, and a 2023 second-round pick from the Rockets.

Brooklyn, on the other hand, got the best player in the deal in Harden and a 2024 second-rounder from the Cavs.

James Harden initially asked for a trade during training camp, but the Rockets weren’t in a hurry to make a deal and opted to sit out and wait for the best offer. Still, the organization decided to fast-track talks with other teams on Tuesday after Harden said that Houston isn’t “good enough” to challenge for the NBA title and that the situation “can’t be fixed” during a press conference.

The trade has massive implications on both the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets, but the rest of the league is also set to feel the consequences.

After being a playoff participant and contender for the better part of the past decade, the Rockets are now going down the rebuilding path. They still have a veteran team that could possibly make a run for the postseason, with John Wall, Oladipo, and Chris Wood on board, but the competition in the West is too big for this to be a realistic goal.

On the bright side, Houston got to replenish their draft chest and now have a much brighter long-term future. Most of their own draft picks were spent on building around James Harden and included trades for Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.

The Nets parted way with their long-term future but have arguably the scariest trio in the NBA at the moment. With James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn has three guys that could easily average more than 25 points per game this season, with each being able to take over the game at any given point.

The trade put the Nets as the biggest favorites to go all the way in 2020-21 behind LA Lakers but also increased the pressure on the organization, first-year head coach Steve Nash, and Harden, Durant, and Irving. They now have to win a title in a two-year window because everything else will be considered a failure of epic proportions.

Jasmin can write about almost everything expect about himself. All you need to know is that he likes music, Nutella stuffed pancakes and sleeping till noon on Sundays.