It’s unclear just how serious the 76ers were in these talks (reports indicated the Rockets would have been interested in a deal including Ben Simmons and breakout rookie Tyrese Maxey), but Philly ultimately would or could not match Brooklyn’s final offer. Houston placed little value on draft picks in the Daryl Morey era, preferring to mine the undrafted market for value and use the back end of the roster on veteran reclamation projects, a strategy that was mostly successful—but due primarily to the presence of Harden, an efficient offense unto himself. The grade we’re giving the Nets reflects just how far-reaching the risk and uncertainty now runs. Villanova, Iowa and Texas round the top five in this week's rankings. Then again, superstars move more often than you think in this league. Do you believe? Fields is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the upcoming NFL draft. On Thursday in San Antonio, hours after Harden's departure was made official, Silas coached the first game of his tenure without that cloud of uncertainty and tension hanging over the franchise. The Nets are now at the mercy of their potentially fickle chemistry. Lionel Messi lashed out at Asier Villalibre at the end of extra time in Barcelona's Super Cup defeat to Athletic Bilbao. Picks can always be procured—just not the sexy ones. Harden and Durant are wholly different players from their time in Oklahoma City. The Rockets were never going to get full value for one of the five best players in the NBA—nobody ever does—but control the Nets’ next seven drafts, netting another first from the Cavs, and turning LeVert into a healthy Oladipo is an impressive return. A trio of Durant, Harden and Irving should be more than enough to make a Finals run. see also Rockets trade James Harden … Stephen A.: After Harden trade, it's 'Finals or bust' for the Nets (3:07) Stephen A. Smith reacts to the breaking news that James Harden has been traded to … QAnon believer who plotted to kill Nancy Pelosi came to D.C. ready for war. James Harden reportedly traded to Brooklyn Nets in blockbuster deal Rockets trade disgruntled superstar to Brooklyn on Wednesday Harden, 31, will team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving Oladipo trade speculation had been swirling for some time. As Durant, Irving and Harden have all shown us before, it’s often by their own impetus. James Harden made it clear Tuesday: He still wants a trade out of Houston. The Rockets are trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team deal … For those wondering how the Rockets were able to land Oladipo, they simply flipped Caris Levert to the Pacers for the All-Star guard. It certainly helps that John Wall looks healthy and has comfortably assumed leadership upon arrival, a trade that’s been a short-term win, as Houston secured a 2023 first-rounder from Washington and moved on from Russell Westbrook. Losing Harden will make them worse, but moving on from this protracted saga might be a minor help as far as wins and losses go. When Harden requested a trade… Stylistically, Harden is an inimitable force, but he’s also the biggest possible wrench you can ever throw into an established offense. But that package is a lot to give up for a short- and long-term future that feels quite this uncertain. The trade reunites Harden with his former Oklahoma Thunder teammate Kevin Durant in Brooklyn, and adds to an offense that also includes Kyrie Irving. The Rockets are just 3–6, but the book is far from written on this season. As stated before, the Nets are acquiring Harden in this trade. The real price an organization pays by making the requisite sacrifices to assemble a superteam is, truthfully, impossible to assess in the heat of the moment. There have been murmurs of Harden's desire to be traded, but for now he is in Houston on a four-year, $171-million contract. The only option was a trade and soon. That’s right, four teams were involved in this massive deal. The Rockets at least have an opportunity to make a decision on the 28-year-old Oladipo, an All-Star in 2018 and 2019 who has gradually worked his way back from rupturing his quadriceps nearly two years ago. The Cavs sent Milwaukee’s unprotected 2022 first-round pick to the Rockets in exchange, a pick that should end up somewhere the 20s given the Bucks’ status atop the East. Brooklyn has three open roster spots, the midlevel exception, as well as a possible disabled player exception created by Spencer Dinwiddie’s season-ending injury with which to flesh out their rotation. Marks knows that approach well, of course. The risk is major, and the stakes are high in Brooklyn. The James Harden saga has reached its conclusion (we think), and it ends with the maligned superstar a Brooklyn Net. James Harden is being traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a four-team deal. By then, we’ll know if it fits. Receive: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, Brooklyn’s 2022, 2024 and 2026 unprotected first-round picks, unprotected pick swaps with Brooklyn in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027, Milwaukee’s 2022 first-round pick (via Cleveland), Indiana future second-round pick. It's a doozy: Sources: Full current trade: … Nobody will enjoy trying to defend them, not alone, not together. The deal is a four-way trade. James Harden got the trade that he so desperately wanted, and the Brooklyn Nets got their man. Here Are The Full Details Of The Blockbuster James Harden Trade. They have traded the 31-year-old to the Brooklyn Nets as part of … Let’s grade the deal as best we can. (CNN)The Houston Rockets are moving on from franchise superstar James Harden. But there’s certainly some irony in the fact that Nets general manager Sean Marks—widely credited for rescuing the franchise after a failed 2013 trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett that sent the Nets into limbo for half a decade—was the one to repeat the cycle, shedding Brooklyn’s rights to its next seven drafts, as well as two valuable, homegrown players, for James Harden. The Eastern Conference is winnable. The Rockets on Wednesday traded Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team deal also involving the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers, two … The … For helping to facilitate salary, the Cavaliers land their center of the future in Allen, who was off to a great start as an emerging starter in Brooklyn. LeVert, 26, is under contract through 2023, and this move also gets the Pacers out of the luxury tax. Rumor: As the Rockets weigh offers from the Nets and 76ers, Harden will remain away from the team. The James Harden era is finally over in Houston. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets looks on during the second half of an NBA game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on December 05, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. They have two, maybe three of the five best pure scorers in the NBA. To his credit, Durant learned to fit in with the Warriors, and while it was never perfect, Golden State got the job done. Receive: James Harden, 2022 Cavaliers second-round pick. The Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden on Wednesday in a multi-team trade that sent shockwaves through the NBA. Brooklyn’s star trio of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving makes it the Eastern Conference’s premier franchise. Receive: Caris LeVert, Houston's 2023 second-round pick. Houston took on some additional risk with the decision to flip LeVert for Oladipo, but you have to assume either that Rockets will have interest in re-signing him this summer or that the move was made with an eye on maximizing financial flexibility Houston otherwise lacked. If you can’t land a roughly equivalent talent in a deal like this, grabbing every last draft asset is the next-best thing. Drummond and McGee, both true centers, could draw interest from teams moving forward. No Harden deal would ever have been easy to stomach for Houston, but securing a trade package like this even as he forced their hand speaks not only to Harden’s incredible talent, but a savvy job by the Rockets’ front office. The Crossover graded the mega deal. At his best, Mesut Ozil was dynamic for Arsenal, but his time at the club was overshadowed by controversy and disruption. Less than 24 hours later, Harden is on his way to Brooklyn. The Houston Rockets have traded former MVP James Harden to the Nets on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and … James Harden trade: Grading all four teams in the blockbuster NBA deal. We don’t know whether these three guys fit. Still just 22 years old, he neatly fits the timeline Cleveland’s young guard duo of Collin Sexton (22) and Darius Garland (20), both of whom have made positive strides this season. There’s some cosmic justice in their reunion. The Rockets are sending Harden … Brooklyn is trading for Houston Rockets star James Harden in a blockbuster NBA trade in a three-way trade with the Cavaliers, according to ESPN. Here are the details as best we can glean from The Athletic's Shams Charania's reporting. But the Cavs certainly improve their roster for the future here: Allen will be a restricted free agent this summer, and should be easily re-signable as Drummond’s contract comes off the books. Less than 24 hours after James Harden appeared to deliver a farewell address to the city of Houston, the 3-time scoring champion was reportedly dealt to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a … Nets acquire James Harden in blockbuster trade The 3-time scoring champ is headed to Brooklyn in a deal involving Houston and Cleveland.