One night after his brutal postgame remarks, the Houston Rockets are granting James Harden’s original wish of a trade to the Brooklyn Nets to join forces with close friend and former teammate Kevin Durant.
In a four-team trade involving the Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Indiana Pacers, the biggest motivation for the Rockets is the four future first-round draft picks and four pick-swap rights that they are receiving (all unprotected). Those picks are Brooklyn’s first-round selections in 2022, 2024, and 2026; pick-swap rights from the Nets for 2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027; and a 2022 first-round pick from Milwaukee (via Cleveland).
To absorb Harden’s $41.3-million contract, the Nets had to send out significant salaries (Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and Taurean Prince) to make the deal permissible under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement. However, the Rockets are not actually taking in any of those three players. Houston is redirecting Allen and Prince to Cleveland for Milwaukee’s draft pick and defensive-minded guard Dante Exum, presumably as salary filler at $9.6 million on an expiring contract.
The Rockets are also moving Levert to the Pacers for Oladipo, a two-time All-Star in 2018 and 2019. A versatile 6-foot-4 guard, Oladipo is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 33.3 minutes per game this season, but he’s set to become a free agent this summer — which likely played a role in Indiana’s willingness to move him.
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
It isn’t yet clear if the Rockets have had discussions with Oladipo’s representatives about a potential extension, but for now, he should slide into Harden’s spot as the starting shooting guard next to John Wall.
The Rockets had said they wanted significant draft compensation and a “young franchise cornerstone” in any deal involving Harden, a perennial All-Star and MVP finalist, and it could be argued that they received it in this trade. At 28 years old, Oladipo is several years younger than the 31-year-old Harden, and the four unprotected future first-round picks and pick-swap rights are a significant haul for new GM Rafael Stone.
Houston GM's Rafael Stone's return of picks — including four unprotected first and four unprotected pick swaps — is one of the strongest draft packages in league history. Oladipo's on an expiring contract and Rockets can make a decision on moving forward with him.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2021
The Nets also sent Rodions Kurucs, a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA draft, to Houston as part of the massive transaction. In three NBA seasons, the lanky 6-foot-9 forward from Latvia has averaged 6.5 points (44.8% FG) and 3.4 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game.
It’s unclear when Oladipo, Kurucs, and Exum will be cleared to play for the Rockets, since the presence of four teams in the transaction will require a significant amount of physicals to be passed.
For the Rockets, though, it’s the end of an era — with Thursday’s game versus San Antonio representing the first time since April 2012 that Houston has played in the regular season without Harden on its roster.
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