
Source: Carmen Mandato / Getty
After almost ten years, NBA superstar James Harden is no longer part of the Houston Rockets.
From Uproxx:
According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania, Harden, who has wanted out of Houston in recent months, is headed to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Nets reportedly made the Rockets an offer that included “as many as seven first round picks” in exchange for the popular basketball player.
It ended up working out as another NBA team got involved in the trade offer:
In the end, the two teams brought in the Cleveland Cavaliers to bolster the deal with an additional first round pick, making it four picks and four swaps going to Houston, with Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen going to Cleveland, while Caris LeVert headlines the package going to Houston, per ESPN’s Wojnarowski.
Here are the tweets announcing the moves:
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
Sources with @ramonashelburne: Brooklyn sends three unprotected first-round picks — 2022, 2024 and 2026 in deal — plus pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027. The Rockets get Cleveland 2022 first-round pick via the Bucks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2021
Just don’t get too comfortable seeing LeVert in a Rockets uniform as that team is switching him and Victor Oladipo with the Indiana Pacers as reported by The Atlantic.
The Indiana Pacers are moving Victor Oladipo to the Rockets for package around Caris LeVert, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021
Here is a full breakdown the complete Harden trade below:
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
The move to the Nets will not only reunite Harden with one-time Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant, but also pair him up with former Cavs and Boston Celtics player Kyrie Irving, who is currently on personal leave. Together, they will form a new all-star power trio that is poised to be unmatched in the NBA Eastern Conference.
Harden is also slated to once again team up with one of his former coaches, Mike D’Antoni, when he joins his new home.
Joining the Nets will help the veteran not be at the team’s center, which was the situation he was in when he was with the Rockets. Despite joining that team in a trade in 2012 and giving it a boost where he “turned them into a hyper-efficient offensive juggernaut,” they were not able to overcome the obstacles that involved a failure to build on their 3-2 lead during a 2018 Western Conference Finals match up with the Golden State Warriors that led to the Dubs ultimately winning the game.
The environment at the Rockets organization was also deteriorating as Harden requested a trade out of the team the departures of D’Antoni and Daryl Morey, along with the trade of Russell Westbrook that brought in John Wall.
Now with Harden at the Nets, things could be better for him, while the Rockets look to once again rebuild.
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Article Courtesy of Uproxx
First and Second Picture Courtesy of Carmen Mandato and Getty Images
First through Fourth Tweet Courtesy of Twitter and Uproxx
SPORTS: Rockets Reportedly Trades Away James Harden In a Deal Involving the Cavs was originally published on wzakcleveland.com