NBA trade grades: Grading the four-team James Harden blockbuster trade

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NBA, James Harden Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The deal is finally done; James Harden has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a massive four-team deal that shifts the landscape of the NBA. Let’s grade.

Finally, the deed is done. James Harden got the trade that he so desperately wanted, and the Brooklyn Nets got their man. By the time the dust cleared, the deal expanded to include four teams, seven players, four first-round picks, four first-round pick swaps and a second-round pick.

Those teams are the Brooklyn Nets, the Houston Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers, and this is what the trade looked like (the Nets obviously got Harden, but this short-code is limited to three teams):

Rockets Get

Victor Oladipo

Dante Exum

Rodions Kurucs

MIL 1st (2022), BKN 1st (2022, 24, 26), BKN swap (21,23,25,27)

Cavaliers Get

Jarrett Allen

Taurean Prince

Pacers Get

Caris LeVert

2nd-round pick

All four teams had differing interests and agendas in the deal, and the massive expanse of involved players and organizations just goes to show the value a player like James Harden can bring to the table.

After trading Russell Westbrook in the offseason, the Houston Rockets get the chance at a fresh start, adding Victor Oladipo to their backcourt alongside John Wall, and they will have a massive war chest of draft capital that they couldn’t have imagined when the season ended just a few months ago.

It’s not every year you get to hit the reset button, especially when you begin the proceedings with Westbrook and Harden on your roster. The Rockets managed to do it, and whether it works for them or not remains to be seen, but the very heft of the deal required is remarkable.

Without further ado, let’s get started on grading this trade. We’ll begin from the perspective of the biggest winners (or are they?), the Brooklyn Nets.

Next: Trade grades for the Brooklyn Nets

<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Rockets Get</div> <div class="info">Victor Oladipo</div> <div class="info">Dante Exum</div> <div class="info">Rodions Kurucs</div> <div class="info">MIL 1st (2022), BKN 1st (2022, 24, 26), BKN swap (21,23,25,27)</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team b"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fcavaliers.png"/>

<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Cavaliers Get</div> <div class="info">Jarrett Allen</div> <div class="info">Taurean Prince</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team c"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fpacers.png"/>

<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Pacers Get</div> <div class="info">Caris LeVert</div> <div class="info">2nd-round pick</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>All four teams had differing interests and agendas in the deal, and the massive expanse of involved players and organizations just goes to show the value a player like James Harden can bring to the table.</p> <p>After trading Russell Westbrook in the offseason, the Houston Rockets get the chance at a fresh start, adding Victor Oladipo to their backcourt alongside John Wall, and they will have a massive war chest of draft capital that they couldn’t have imagined when the season ended just a few months ago.</p> <p>It’s not every year you get to hit the reset button, especially when you begin the proceedings with Westbrook and Harden on your roster. The Rockets managed to do it, and whether it works for them or not remains to be seen, but the very heft of the deal required is remarkable.</p> <p>Without further ado, let’s get started on grading this trade. We’ll begin from the perspective of the biggest winners (or are they?), the Brooklyn Nets.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Trade grades for the Brooklyn Nets </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_420642" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"http://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/13846939.jpeg">

risky path once again</a>, trading seven years worth of draft control to the Houston Rockets in exchange for one of the best players in the NBA. They sent their first-round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026 to the Rockets as well as pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027.</p> <p>It’s a drastic haul that vaults the Rockets into the realm of the war-chest teams, like the New Orleans Pelicans and the OKC Thunder.</p> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="light" data-text="NBA Rookie Rankings: Where does LaMelo Ball rank?" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/10/nba-rookie-rankings-lamelo-ball/" data-call-to-action="Related Story" > <div class="story-link-related"> <a class="story-link-related-btn" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-related-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/10/nba-rookie-rankings-lamelo-ball/"> <span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> NBA Rookie Rankings: Where does LaMelo Ball rank? </a> </div> </div> <p>This is a trade that launches the Nets into the heights of the NBA’s elites and makes them a legitimate championship contender alongside the Milwaukee Bucks, LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers.</p> <p>Adding James Harden to their superstar core of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving just makes them that much more dangerous and are virtually unstoppable on the offensive side of the ball. On defense, that may be another issue, but Harden is a better defender than he’s given credit for and they won’t miss much on that end with LeVert’s departure.</p> <p>Considering that the Brooklyn Nets want a championship and nothing else matters, they did what needed to be done.</p> <h2>Grade: A</h2> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Houston Rockets trade grade </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_420674" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/13639887.jpeg">

<span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> NBA: Picking some way too early All-Star Teams </a> </div> </div> <p>Perhaps the most important thing to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is that they saved about $9 million this season by moving off James Harden’s deal and getting cheaper pieces back in exchange. What’s $9 million to a billionaire? Well, to a real billionaire, not much. To a cash-poor billionaire with cheapskate tendencies, on the other hand? For Tilman Fertitta, it’s worth more than it should be.</p> <p>It seems like the Rockets sold low on Harden, but the die was cast for them. They had to make a deal, and they had to make it quick. In making this deal happen, they did indeed achieve a quick transaction and got Harden out of that locker room in a hurry.</p> <h2>Grade: B</h2> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Cleveland Cavaliers trade grade </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_420675" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/13782176.jpeg">

<span class="call_to_action">Related Story:</span> Players Power Rankings: Steph Curry is back </a> </div> </div> <p>The Cavs’ experience in this trade makes for an object lesson on how to utilize cap space to your advantage while rebuilding. Being able to leverage it in order to basically get free assets for nothing is a classic way to take advantage of teams desperate to make a deal happen, and they did it perfectly in this situation.</p> <p>There’s not a thing wrong with this trade from the perspective of the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was a job well done for general manager Koby Altman and crew as they continue to build an exciting young team.</p> <h2>Grade: A</h2> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Indiana Pacers trade grade </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_420683" class="wp-caption aligncenter"> <a href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/15405075.jpeg">

Oladipo’s resurgence</a>, Malcolm Brogdon’s fringe MVP play and Damontas Sabonis’s All-Star level performance. Time will tell how Caris LeVert integrates into the whole for head coach Nate Bjokgren.</p> <h2>Grade: C+</h2> <div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="NBA Power Rankings Week 3: Are the Warriors back?" data-url="https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/10/nba-power-rankings-week-3-golden-state-warriors-back/" data-call-to-action="Next" > <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background:#bb2c32" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/13/nba-trade-grades-james-harden/"https://hoopshabit.com/2021/01/10/nba-power-rankings-week-3-golden-state-warriors-back/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> NBA Power Rankings Week 3: Are the Warriors back? </a> </div> </div><!—pageview_candidate—>">

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NBA trade grades: Grading the four-team James Harden blockbuster trade

The deal is finally done; James Harden has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a massive four-team deal that shifts the landscape of the NBA. Let’s grade.

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