Houston Rockets is sending James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a highly successful negotiation that will bring Victor Oladipo to the Rockets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. Caris LeVert is going to the Indiana Pacers.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are also involved in this massive trade, with Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince coming from Brooklyn. Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs also go to the Rockets, along with a lot of choices and exchanges of choices in the first round.
Here is the highly successful business highlighted by James Harden and Victor Oladipo:
Sources: Complete current trade:
Rockets: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, 3 BKN in the first round (22, 24, 26), 1 MIL first (22, unprotected), 4 BKN in the first round (21, 23, 25, 27)
Nets: James Harden
Pacers: Caris LeVert, 2nd round
Cavs: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince
– Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 13, 2021
Fierce trade talks have increased in the past few days, and it all came to a head when the superstar sniper effectively made his switch request public on Tuesday night after a terrible loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers were reportedly the two finalists for Harden’s services, with the Rockets reportedly putting pressure on Ben Simmons and Tyrese Maxey as the headliners in a possible deal involving Philly.
But that didn’t work, so Harden is going to Brooklyn, which is where he always wanted to go. The real shock is the Pacers getting involved, sending Victor Oladipo to the Rockets by Caris LeVert, who initially appeared to be the stallion en route to Houston.
There have been rumors of trade going around Oladipo for a while over the past year, but he tried to end all that conversation before this season. Although he looked more like himself this season, having fought a devastating knee injury in 2019-20, his free 2021 agency clearly weighed on Indiana’s minds in these commercial negotiations. Instead of possibly losing the star guard aimlessly in the off-season, the Pacers jumped into this trade and got a younger player at LeVert who is under contract for two more seasons after that for about $ 18 million annually.
A big question is whether the Rockets plan to keep Victor Oladipo and try to rehire him this off-season, or whether they will want to take him down. Houston has 3-6 to start the season, but the team may want to see how he plays alongside John Wall, Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins.
