The Houston Rockets have traded superstar James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team mega-deal that also involved the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Thursday morning, the Nets and the Rockets both announced the trade deal as Brooklyn dealt the Rockets a package including Caris LeVert and three first-round draft picks.
The Rockets will trade LeVert to the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo. However, the Rockets and Pacers have yet to announce that trade. With that, center Jarett Allen and forward Taurean Prince will be traded from the Nets to the Cavs. In this instance, the Rockets will receive Cleveland’s Dante Exrum and Brooklyn’s Rodions Kurucs.
Out of this deal, Houston will also receive three unprotected first-round picks from Brooklyn (in 2022, 2024, and 2026) plus pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027, the Nets announced. The Rockets also received Cleveland’s 2022 first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks, and Houston is sending 2023’s second-round pick to the Paces. Brooklyn will get 2024’s second-round pick from the Cavaliers.
The above blockbuster deal will reunite Harden with former teammate Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. The Nets also signed All-star Kyrie Irving and have a good shot at being title contenders this season.
“Adding an All-NBA player such as James to our roster better positions our team to compete against the league’s best,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement released by the team. “James is one of the most prolific scorers and playmakers in our game, and we are thrilled to bring his special talents to Brooklyn.
“While we are excited to welcome James and his family to the Nets, we also want to thank the players who are departing. Caris, Jarrett, Rodions, and Taurean were instrumental to the team’s success and have made an enormous impact on our organization. It has been a pleasure watching them grow both as players and as people, and they will always be part of our Nets family. We wish each of them and their families all the best in the future.”
The trade was agreed to after the Rockets opted to keep Harden away from Wednesday’s practice, which made the superstar unhappy, and he then wanted a trade. Despite this, Harden stayed quiet through months of rumors that he was unhappy with the Rockets, but coach Stephen Silas called all of the drama surrounding Harden an “all-around messed up situation.”
“On behalf of the entire Rockets organization and the City of Houston, I’d like to thank James Harden for an amazing eight-plus seasons in a Rockets uniform,” Rockets owner Tilman J. Fertitta said in a statement. “James has provided us with so many great memories as we’ve watched him grow from Sixth Man of the Year to a perennial All-Star and MVP. My family and I also want to thank James for his many off the court contributions, including generous charitable donations and multiple annual community events. We wish James the best of luck and will always be grateful for the memories.”
