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The Nets are 6-6 and seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. Wednesday evening, this fact does not seem very important.
Brooklyn’s announced trade for three-time champion James Harden means an early-season shift in the Eastern balance of power.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, here are the terms of the deal:
What does trading mean to the Sixers? How will the exchange of Victor Oladipo to Houston and the acquisition of Caris LeVert work for the Pacers?
Here’s a first look at potential contenders in the East in the wake of the Harden deal (in no particular order):
Nets
Brooklyn is betting on the Harden trio, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving who are formidable offensively. As long as everyone is healthy and available, we think it’s a decent bet.
It might not be easy for first-year head coach Steve Nash to divide the offensive load among three heavily used and very talented playmakers, but Irving and Durant have indeed complemented other stars before. Harden did the same early in his NBA career, playing as a sixth man on the Thunder with Durant and Russell Westbrook.
He was used in isolation far more than any other NBA player during his time in Houston, so adjustments will be needed on all sides. Harden’s 14.1 isolation possessions per game last season was more than any team (other than Houston) on average. The coach of this attack is now an assistant to the Nets, Mike D’Antoni, and we assume he will play a vital role in the onboarding process.
The “healthy and available” part is far from certain, both for the Nets and for the NBA in general at the moment. Irving has missed the last four games for personal reasons, and the league is now investigating videos of him at a family birthday party without a mask, according to several reports. Durant was sidelined for the entire 2019-20 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon. Harden, meanwhile, is known as an enduring player. With the 31-year-old making $ 41.2 million this season and $ 44.3 million the following year ahead of his $ 47.4 million option in 2022-23, the Nets certainly need him.
Sixers
A Harden trade could very well have made the Sixers the team to beat in the conference.
The team’s most obvious shortcoming is creating perimeter plans, and that’s what Harden is doing at a historically high level. Seth Curry and Danny Green would have been useful driving and kicking options for the eight-time All-Star. When it comes to domestic dominance, the Sixers have covered Embiid, who is among the early MVP favorites and led the team to a 7-1 start.
The Sixers have both Embiid and Ben Simmons, 24, under contract until the 2022-23 season. If president of basketball operations Daryl Morey decides to pursue Wizards star Bradley Beal in earnest, the Sixers should be in a good position to catch him. If the Sixers decide their best to enter this playoffs with a roster similar to where they are now, then we’ll learn a lot about the Simmons-Embiid duo.
Simmons’ versatile defense is elite and shouldn’t be sidelined, but the Sixers need him to turn the ball less and score more effectively. Whether or not this coincides with regularly skipped shots, it’s essential that he makes real progress and doesn’t stall or regress offensively. In 10 games, Simmons’ turnover percentage is 21.7 and he scores 109.7 points per 100 shot attempts, per Cleaning the Glass. Both figures would be the worst of his career.
Pacers
LeVert, 26, is under contract for the next three seasons, while Oladipo is an expiring deal. The opinion here, which shouldn’t be too controversial, is that Indiana has done pretty well.
LeVert, who averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds for Brooklyn, is a nice addition. However, can the Pacers disturb any of the alleged best teams in the East? It may be a stretch this year, their first under head coach Nate Bjorkgren, but LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner are all under contract until 2022-2023.
Celtics
It’s hard to say much about the Celtics until they start playing again. Boston’s last three scheduled contests have all been postponed due to health and safety protocols.
When everyone is healthy, the 7-3 Celtics remain dependent on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown, who averages 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists, keeps getting better.
Kemba Walker was cleared for training last week after missing the start of the season with lingering left knee problems.
Bucks
The Bucks offense is the best in the league so far, according to Cleaning the Glass, but Milwaukee didn’t have a great defensive start. Giannis Antetokunmpo is locked up until his prime, and the Bucks should be in the Championship conversation while he’s there. We’ll see how Milwaukee fares in their first playoffs with Jrue Holiday.
Heat
Another team essentially cut in half by NBA health and safety protocols, the reigning conference champions started 4-5. Jimmy Butler, who is one of the players sidelined by protocols, opened the season 0 for 7 from three points. The league-wide COVID-19 situation is worth worrying about, but the slow start of Butler and the Heat not.
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