Culture of Hoops

Trade Grades and Analysis For James Harden Mega Deal

The wait is finally over! Yesterday afternoon, the Houston Rockets agreed to trade longtime franchise star James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, in what was a blockbuster four-team deal. The Rockets, Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Cleveland Cavaliers, all whom received great pieces in this incredible deal, were involved. The trade was obviously a long time coming, as Harden had been expressing his frustrations with the team since the Rockets were eliminated in the playoffs down in the NBA Bubble. Harden, who’s a former MVP, is still clearly a top-five player in the league, but was his price a king’s ransom? Did the other teams involved in this deal actually come away winners? Here’s my full analysis and grades for each team in this historic trade.

 

 

Full Trade Breakdown

Brooklyn Nets receive: James Harden

Houston Rockets receive: Victor Oladipo (via Indiana), Dante Exum (via Cleveland), Rodions Kurucs (via Brooklyn), three Brooklyn unprotected first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026), four Brooklyn first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027), and a 2022 Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick (via Cleveland)

Indiana Pacers receive: Caris LeVert and a 2023 second-round pick

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince

For the Brooklyn Nets, there was no question as to whether or not they should pull the trigger on a trade for James Harden when they had the chance. The team is clearly in win-now mode with current stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, so adding a player of Harden’s caliber increases their chances of winning significantly. But even with the Nets looking like the best team in the NBA on paper after doing this deal, there’s still some questions surrounding the team. Can Irving and Harden coexist in the backcourt together? Will Irving actually put his focus completely on basketball now? Can this team win a championship during the two-year window they’re operating under? The risk factor for this deal was a high one, as the Nets technically traded away seven of their own first-round picks (three unprotected picks and four pick swaps) in this deal. The last thing you want to happen is a repeat of the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce trade of 2013, we all know how that ended. But if it all works out, the reward of bringing a championship to the city of Brooklyn and state of New York is an incredible one. This team has the potential to do some great things, it’s just a matter the trio of Durant, Irving, and Harden being able to coexist to do so.

Brooklyn Nets: B

The Rockets were under a ton of pressure to get James Harden out of Houston, as his frustrations and displeasure with the front office were beginning to affect the rest the guys in H-town such as John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Christian Wood. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone made the best of a deal and probably got one of the best trade returns for a single player in NBA history. Stone managed to land Houston four unprotected future first round picks, as well as four pick swaps with the Brooklyn Nets. This loads up Houston’s assets, giving them pieces for future trades. Not to mention that they landed a star in Victor Oladipo, who although is on an expiring contract, will provide a nice scoring boost for this Rockets team. Having Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs as a part of this deal gives the Rockets young players to develop for the future too. I liked this deal for the Rockets because they were able to secure a solid future for themselves with the plethora picks they acquired, while also putting themselves in a a position to remain competitive in a tough Western Conference this season by adding Oladipo. I’ll give them an A for now, but if they manage to re-sign Oladipo this offseason, I think they deserve an A+ for this deal.

Houston Rockets: A

Although they weren’t one of the main two teams in the deal, the Pacers still got a great return by acquiring guard Caris LeVert, along with a 2023 second-round pick. Victor Oladipo certainly meant a lot to the city of Indiana during these last four seasons; he’ll always be loved by Pacers fans for the awesome moments he’s provided them. However, it was simply time to move on. These past two seasons have been difficult for Oladipo, as he’d been dealing with injuries and a drop in his stats. Many executives around the league also believe that Oladipo was not going to resign with Indiana long-term this summer, so it was smart for Indiana to get some sort of return for the former All-Star rather than letting him go for nothing a few months from now. LeVert is the perfect fit for this young Pacers squad, as he’s two years younger than Oladipo and is locked in for two more years following this season. He’s a player who’s on the brink of being an All-Star, averaging nearly 31 points per game in the three games he played without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the floor this season. I think LeVert will take a big leap in his new role with the Pacers.

Indiana Pacers: A-

This may shock many people, but I actually believe that the Cavaliers, not any of the other three teams, got the best return in this blockbuster trade yesterday. They acquired Jarrett Allen who not only can be their franchise big man going forward, but is also a potential defensive player of the year candidate at 22 years old. His incredible rim protection, rim-running ability, and post game make him a fun kid to watch and play with. Not to mention Taurean Prince who’s a great addition for the Cavs to come off the bench/start in games. Prince’s 3&D style of play will be great for the team’s rotation. And what did they give up for these two guys exactly? Cleveland only had to part ways with a 2022 Milwaukee Bucks first round pick, not their own and Dante Exum, a player who seemed kind of lost in the Cavs deep guard rotation. This deal was an absolute win for the Cavaliers, as it allowed them to get younger and more versatile. It also sets them up to be in a good position when dealing current starting center Andre Drummond by the trade deadline. Cleveland can be more comfortable with moving on from Drummond, as they know that Allen is their center of the future. One could say that Cleveland gave up the least and got the most in this trade.

Cleveland Cavaliers: A+

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