Grading Teams Involved in the James Harden Trade

The inevitable finally happened, James Harden was traded. A blockbuster four team trade, Harden goes to the Brooklyn Nets from the Houston Rockets that saw the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers get in on it. This trade deserves a closer look as well as grades for each team involved.

But before going into the trade itself, the fact that Harden is going to Brooklyn and not to the Philadelphia 76ers needs to be revisited. The Rockets wanted Ben Simmons, Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle, and draft picks from Philadelphia, and they said no on account of the inclusion of Maxey. While Maxey is certainly a bright young player, this was a mistake. This was the best option for both teams, and the 76ers said no because they did not want to give away a player who, at best, will be a borderline All Star.

The Trade

Nets get: James Harden and a second-round pick

Rockets get: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four first-round picks and four pick swaps

Cavaliers get: Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince

Pacers get: Caris LeVert and a second-round pick

Brooklyn Nets: C

This was a move that does not make sense. The trio of Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is the most offensively powerful pa that the league has ever seen, but it has problems. The most glaring being the fact that there is only one ball. Harden and Irving are isolation players who, on paper, do not fit well together. Irving has also recently had off the court issues and could be feuding with Steve Nash, the coach he wanted in Brooklyn. The defense in Brooklyn also got considerably worse with this move. Jarrett Allen had been starting as of late and has looked great on both ends of the floor. They still need wing defense and Harden does not give them that. The offense is there for sure, but the defense still looks bad. However, the fact the Nets were able to retain both Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwidde is something to commend them for. At the end of the day, this trade is boom or bust, if they can figure out to make these three superstars coexist, this could be an A instead of a C, but for now, this looks extremely questionable.

Houston Rockets: A-

Of the potential trade partners for Houston, the Nets always seemed like they would give Houston the worst trade package in terms of personnel, but the Rocket’s front office was able to change that. They flipped Caris LeVert for Victor Oladipo and then traded Allen and Taurean Prince for another first round pick. Looking at what they kept from the Nets, they have three first-round picks and four pick swaps stretching all the way to 2027, giving them a max of eight new picks. Adding Oladipo to this team can keep them competitive even though they clearly will not be winning a title any time soon. However, they do not have to worry about the fact they won’t have high picks because they now have tons of capital from Brooklyn.

Indiana Pacers: B-

The Pacers getting involved in this trade was a bit of a shock but they did well. Losing Oladipo hurts, but LeVert is a very good replacement. At this stage in Oladipo’s career, LeVert is a slight downgrade but should bring more long term stability as Oladipo was in his final year of his contract. The Pacers made the right decision by making someone else decide whether or not to pay him in the summer. While this will sting for Pacers fans, LeVert will be locked down for several more years and is a great fit for Indiana, especially after the rumors that Oladipo wanted out before the season started.

Cleveland Cavaliers: A

ESPN gave the Cavs the grade of a C for some reason when they published their grades for this trade. They clearly aren’t considering the fact that they gave up a rotation player and a late pick for an excellent young center, thus garnering them an A grade here. While the initial fit with Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee isn’t ideal, the Cavs are not title yet. Drummond and McGee will be gone after the season and Love only has two years left on his deal. Getting Allen is an acquisition with the future in mind. In a team that already has young talent, adding in Allen only makes the future brighter. This is not even considering what they gave up, which was only Dante Exum and Buck’s 2021 first-round pick, which will undoubtedly be in the late twenties. Cleveland also added Taureen Prince, a solid rotation piece for this young team.