The Brooklyn Nets have acquired James Harden from the Houston Rockets in a four-team trade including the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers.
The Rockets received Caris Levert but was swapped for Victor Oladipo sending Levert to the Pacers. Houston will receive three unprotected first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026) and other future draft picks from Brooklyn.
The Rockets will also obtain a first-round pick (2022) from the Cavs along with a future second-round pick from Indiana. Cleveland’s Dante Exum and Brooklyn’s Rodions Kurucs will also be acquired by Houston.
Former Nets’ Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince will be sent to Cleveland.
Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and now James Harden will be Brooklyn’s core players but was it worth it? The Nets surrendered several draft picks and depleted their bench depth to put themselves in a “win now” position when they were already favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.
3 Stars, 1 Basketball
The biggest issue with assembling these star players is that there’s only one basketball. When Irving and Durant have been on the floor together, they’ve showcased brilliant basketball. They’re two of the most gifted offensive players of all time and they’re entertaining to watch. Adding James Harden will limit Durant and Irving’s usage rate.
Harden is an incredible isolation player but that play style isn’t conducive when there are two other stars on the roster. In Houston, James Harden and Chris Paul had success pushing the offensive juggernaut of the Golden State Warriors to 7 games. Harden and CP3 didn’t run in to too many chemistry issues because CP3 was past his prime and deferred to Harden.
Last season, Harden and Westbrook didn’t work because they are two ball-dominant guards who need the ball to be truly effective.
Harden over dribbles and a lot of his offense comes from step back threes. Add into the mix that he doesn’t move without the ball, he usually sits in the corner and doesn’t look to get open. If Harden continues to play like this, one of three stars’ game isn’t going to be maximized.
Lack of Bench Depth
In 12 games this year, Caris Levert is averaging 18.5 points and 6.0 assists in under 28 minutes. Levert was carrying the load off the bench relieving Durant and Kyrie from playing too many minutes. Levert was my pick for sixth man of the year and now he’s with Indiana.
Jarrett Allen is another player who provided a boost off the bench with his rim protection and rebounding. Allen is averaging a double-double of 11.2 points and 10.4 rebounds this season and the Nets didn’t acquire a player to replace him.
The Nets will have a tough time acquiring some talent off the bench with limited roster flexibility adding on James Harden’s $41 million contract this season.
It’s unclear when Brooklyn will have Durant, Irving, and Harden on the court together with Irving still on “personal leave” but this could be a recipe of bad chemistry and high egos when they hit the floor.
Photo credits: Twitter.com, Bleacher Report