My Thoughts On The James Harden Trade
Perhaps the biggest trade in the past few seasons just happened, the Nets acquiring James Harden, adding to their superstar duo of KD and Kyrie. A lot of other teams were involved, and a lot pieces have been moved. Here are all my thoughts on the James Harden trade.
Houston Rockets
I feel like the Rockets should have done this a long time ago, but they did get a lot in return. James Harden was being very disrespectful to his coach, teammates, and making the franchise look bad. This was a move that had to happen. Here’s what Houston got in return for James Harden.
– Caris Levert (from BKN), but then Levert was traded to Indiana for Victor Oladipo (IND)
-Dante Exum (from CLE)
-Rodions Kurucs (from BKN)
-4 First Round Picks (FRP) (3 from BKYN, 1 from CLE via Bucks
-4 Nets pick swaps
Quite the haul for the Rockets, so lets unpack that.
Caris Levert has been traded for Victor Oladipo, in a move I don’t really like for Houston. Levert is only 26 years old, and he’s not making much money. Currently, Levert is making around $16 million dollars, but he is under contract until 2023, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Victor Oladipo, however, is going to be a unrestricted free agent this summer. So instead of taking somebody like Levert who is under contract for a few years and is younger, you take Oladipo, who is a free agent. Not the best move.
Exum and Kurucs are decent players, but they’ll be fringe role players at best. Mostly just filler for this trade. But the picks, that’s where Houston really won this trade. They got 4 first round picks, 3 from the Nets and 1 from the Cavs (which is actually from the Bucks). The Rockets didn’t have many first round picks, and this gives them a lot of assets for future trades and a rebuild. They also got 4 Nets pick swaps. So the Rockets kick-start their rebuild with 8 picks, which will really come in handy down the line.
All in all, a solid trade for the Rockets. They got the picks that they desperately needed, something to try and kickstart their rebuild. I really think they should have kept Caris Levert, because he’s younger than Oladipo and under contract. Victor Oladipo is going to be a free agent, and I don’t think he’s worth a max deal. I doubt that Oladipo stays with this team, and that was the worst part of this deal. But still quite the haul for the Rockets.
Rockets Grade: B+
Brooklyn Nets
Well, it really happened. They got James Harden. Now what? The Nets traded a lot in return for the former MVP. He’s all that they gave up for Harden.
-Caris Levert (to Houston, later traded to Indiana)
-Jarrett Allen (to Cleveland)
-Taurean Prince (to Cleveland)
-7 total picks (3 FRP, 4 pick swaps, all to Houston)
The Nets gave up a lot. Caris Levert became their 3rd option when Spencer Dinwiddie went down the for the year. He was very valuable, and losing him hurts. Jarrett Allen hurts the most by far. The Nets really needed Allen for defense, as he was one of the best young defenders in the league. The Nets only had Deandre Jordan as a backup for the time being, which isn’t great. The Nets defense, which wasn’t great with Allen, not got worst. Look for more smaller lineups featuring KD at center with Allen gone.
Taurean Prince was another wing guy, who could score. He was playing well as of late, and now they lose another wing player. The Nets lost a lot of depth for Harden, and he’d better we worth it for their sakes. The picks really don’t hurt the Nets, they’re just going all in.
Now, you have Harden, Irving (maybe), and Durant. You still have guys like Joe Harris, Landry Shamet, Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, TLC, and Bruce Brown. They lost some wings and a lot of defense. But their offense is going to be an all-time great one.
Even though KD is still getting back in game form, he is lethal with his length. Harden might be out of shape right now, but I expect that to change. I expect him to be ready in a few weeks, and getting back to scoring.
Kyrie Irving has been doing some interesting things over the past few days, but when he’s able to come back from the health and safety protocols, this trio will be lethal. Now some people will say chemistry will be a problem, and it might. But KD has played with all-time great players before, and been successful. I think Harden will try and fit in here, as he’s much more happy. If Irving actually wants to play basketball, I do believe he’ll make an effort and impact. Obviously chemistry isn’t something that you can just predict, but I think it’s being overstated. Steve Nash is a very good coach and a former MVP, a guy who understands players. I really don’t think chemistry will be a big issue.
The Nets roster is a little thin, and I don’t expect them to be done making moves before the March trade dead-line. The Nets lost a lot for Harden, but this makes them so much more lethal, and they are even more contenders than they already were.
Nets Grade: A
Cleveland Cavaliers
Although most of the attention from this trade is going to the Rockets and Nets, the Cavs sneakily got a lot in return for this trade. They gave up a first round pick from the Bucks (which won’t hold much value because the Bucks are good), and Dante Exum. But in return, they got a lot.
-Jarrett Allen (from BKN)
-Taurean Prince (from BKN)
The Cavaliers are currently paying Andre Drummond $28.7 million dollars. He will become an unrestricted free agent. I have been lobbying for the Cavs to trade Drummond, to get something back, and get rid of his massive contract. This happened, in a way. They get Jarrett Allen, a 22-year old stud defensive player with great hair (not important). Allen is currently making $3.9 million dollars. He becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021, where I doubt he leaves. This gives the Cavaliers a chance to dump Drummond and his massive contract, and get some youth down low.
With Allen, the Cavs have a young nucleus of Sexton, Garland, Okoro, and now Allen. Quite the steal by the Cavs. They also get Taurean Prince, who isn’t in their long-term plans. He’s 26 years old, currently making $12.25 million. He’s decent, but he could have some trade value alongside Andre Drummond. He’s a decent role-player, and he will become an unrestricted free agent in 2022.
All in all, the Cavs are big winners. They got a much younger, cheaper center in Jarrett Allen. They can now trade the expensive Andre Drummond, and now they have one of the best young nuclei in the league, featuring Sexton and Garland in the back-court. Very good haul for the Cavs.
Cavs Grade: A+
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers weren’t involved in the 3-team deal, but they made a move after the dust had settled. Caris Levert had originally been traded to the Rockets, and we thought that was that. But no, they traded Victor Oladipo for Levert in a straight-up swap. And this was another steal.
Oladipo was becoming a free agent, and it didn’t seem likely that he would be staying. He had been an All-Star, but after an injury he hadn’t been the same player. While he was good this season, I doubted that Indiana would be able to keep him. There were trade rumors, and I thought Oladipo would be gone. But the Pacers got a great return piece. Instead of having to try and pay Oladipo in free agency, likely getting nothing for the former All-Star, they got Caris Levert.
Levert is younger than Oladipo, and is under contract for the next few years. Levert is a bucket-getter, and this trade is very valuable, especially right now. TJ Warren is sidelined with injury, and now Levert is his replacement. Indiana is very well-coached, and a very good team. Levert can be that pure scorer, and he makes them a lot more lethal. I really like this trade for Indiana, as they got something for Oladipo rather than seeing him walk away in free agency.
Pacers Grade: A
This is one the biggest trades ever. There are so many things that can happen, from just in this season to the future. In 10 years, we’ll look back at this trade, and see who really won. But for now, we get to see the implications around the league. Some teams got better, worse, or just got even more interesting. It’ll be fascinating to see how this plays out.
What Are Your Thoughts From The James Harden Trade Madness? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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nice post. question – do you think Kyrie will be back this season?