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The Rockets sent James Harden to the Nets in a successful four-team trade that also involves the Pacers and Cavaliers, completing the ill-fated Houston star’s exit and setting up a potential Brooklyn super-team, sources said. to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne from ESPN.
The Nets sent Houston a package that includes multiple players and draft picks and features guard Caris LeVert, who was later traded to the Pacers for Victor Oladipo, sources told ESPN.
Center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince go from the Nets to the Cavs as part of the deal, sources told ESPN, while the Rockets receive Cleveland guard Dante Exum and Brooklyn forward Rodions Kurucs.
Houston also receives all three unprotected Brooklyn first-round picks in the deal – in 2022, 2024 and 2026 – as well as choice trades in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027, sources told ESPN. The Rockets also get Cleveland’s 2022 first-round pick, via the Milwaukee Bucks, and Houston sends a 2023 second-round pick to the Pacers, sources told ESPN.
Brooklyn also gets a 2024 second-round pick from the Cavaliers. The Nets have three open spots to fill their bench, if they so choose – a $ 5.7 million mid-level tax, the minimum exception, and likely a $ 5.7 million exception for disabled players.
The megadeal reunites Harden with former Oklahoma City teammate Kevin Durant in Brooklyn and positions the Nets, who also have All-Star goaltender Kyrie Irving, as the Eastern Conference title contender.
“I think basketball is all about playing together and being the best you can be. So no matter who you are, it’s about finding the connectivity and balance within a team and trying to be. greater than the sum of your parts, “Nets coach Steve Nash said ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Knicks. “So that doesn’t change no matter what your team looks like, and it’s definitely a goal and a common thread for our team from day one.”
The trade was agreed after the Rockets chose to keep Harden out of Wednesday’s practice, following comments from the former MVP on Tuesday that Houston is not “good enough” to compete for a championship.
Harden hired Jason Ranne and Chafie Fields from Wasserman, and they worked closely with the Rockets and all the teams involved to secure the trade for him, sources told ESPN. Wasserman also represented Russell Westbrook and worked closely with the Rockets on his trade with Wizards.
The Nets are scheduled to visit the Rockets on March 3 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) – the last game of the first half of their schedule.
On William Hill’s Caesars Sportsbook, the Nets edged out the Bucks and are now second-seeded to win the NBA title, behind only the Los Angeles Lakers. Nets title odds increased from +550 to +300.
“My first thought: it’s good to bring James Harden to the East,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of 95.7 The Game in San Francisco. “A lot of the dominant NBA players have been out West for some reason. And it’s good to balance things out.”
By adding Harden, a three-time scoring champion, the Nets will be able to trot a three-man lineup capable of scoring 25 or more points any night, giving them a collection of firepower to rival any Big Three in recent years.
Harden and Durant, who have combined to win seven of the last 11 NBA milestones this season, become the fifth pair of teammates in NBA history to play on the same team after winning multiple titles, according to Elias.
Durant is averaging 29.9 points in his first season after surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, and Irving was scoring 27.1 per game before leaving the team last week for personal reasons.
Harden, who joined the Rockets after the start of training camp, is averaging 24.8 points this season after three consecutive seasons over 30.
ESPN’s Malika Andrews and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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