SportsThe Houston And Brooklyn Trade That Saw James Harden Move To Nets

The Houston And Brooklyn Trade That Saw James Harden Move To Nets

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BEVERLY HILL, January 15, (THEWILL) – National Basketball Association (NBA) best shooting guard, James Harden, got his wish granted when the trade to the Brooklyn Nets he had been pushing for during the off-season materialised. He will be reuniting with Kevin Durant with whom he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder team in his first three seasons, a pairing that will give the Nets NBA’s best offense this season.

The trade was made official by the Houston Rockets on Thursday as club owner Tilman Fertitta thanked Harden for his time with them:

“On behalf of the entire Rockets organization and the City of Houston, I’d like to thank James Harden for an amazing eight-plus seasons in a Rockets uniform.

“James has provided us with so many great memories as we’ve watched him grow from Sixth Man of the Year to a perennial All-Star and MVP. My family and I also want to thank James for his many off the court contributions, including generous charitable donations and multiple annual community events.

“We wish James the best of luck and will always be grateful for the memories.”

With Harden’s presence, the Nets do not immediately solve their defensive deficits but have strengthened their offense. To become contenders, the turnaround must be completed. They began the campaign strong defensively, but in the past eight games, they have given up 113.2 points per 100 possessions. This has left them ranking 25th in the league in that span.

Although Harden is not known for his defense, neither are most of the role players that remain in place for the Nets. Yet, the Harden-Durant pairing comes with the promise of a practically limitless supply of shooting which should give Brooklyn considerable leeway to offset a porous defense.

The fringe benefit of this deal for the Nets is that Harden provides a measure of insurance against either injury or personal absence on the part of Kyrie Irving, who is currently on a “personal leave” according to Brooklyn coach Steve Nash. They can now boast of two offensive superstars regardless of what happens with Irving now, and in all likelihood, will enter the playoffs with three of them in the team.

Meanwhile, the Rockets appear headed for a full-scale rebuild. Given the assets they have traded, it was one that they sorely need. Part of the deal means Houston owes first-round picks to the Thunder in 2024 and 2026, as well as swap rights in 2021 and 2025. For now, with no path to immediate contention in sight, they needed to use the Harden trade to refill their coffers.

That is what they achieved with this deal. They have now earned full control over Brooklyn’s draft capital through 2027. The Nets may be dominant at the moment, but those picks are going to become quite valuable in good time.

Meanwhile, by bringing in Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers with the deal, they acquired for themselves a path to short-term relevance. Though he and John Wall have injury concerns currently, they are both All-Star-caliber players and good for the value.

The business done with these trades may not grant the Rockets the franchise centerpiece they have desired. Yet, it affords them the leisure of rebuilding gradually without necessarily tanking while in the process.

It may take a frustrating few years for Houston, but it is a process long seen as necessary. Harden publicly declared the situation unfixable and had to be let off for the process of actually fixing it to begin. They must now resolutely see it through and be ready for the tough days ahead while sustaining it to a successful term.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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