BREAKING DOWN THE JAMES HARDEN BLOCKBUSTER

SportsBeat!

Written by Aaron Cantin

James Harden is getting the trade he wanted. I guess refusing to practice and calling out his teammates will do the trick. Regardless, the former MVP will reunite with Kevin Durant, whom he spent his first three seasons playing in Oklahoma. The four-team blockbuster also saw the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers make sneaky good acquisitions. Before dissecting the trade further, here's what the trade looks like on paper.

• Rockets get: ​Victor Oladipo​, ​Rodions Kurucs​, ​Dante Exum​, four unprotected first-round picks (Brooklyn 2022, 2024 and 2026, Milwaukee 2022), and four unprotected first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027).

• Nets get: ​James Harden

• Pacers​ get: ​Caris LeVert​, 2023 second-round pick (from Houston)

• Cavaliers get: ​Jarrett Allen​, Taurean Prince

James Harden standing for National Anthem pre-game; Photo from NBC Sports

Brooklyn Nets: ​The Brooklyn Nets have the best offence in the NBA. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden can be the top scoring option on their own team. Assuming Kyrie Irving returns at some point this season, the Brooklyn Nets will be considered favourites to win the East. They do, however, have work to do on the defensive end. After a hot start, the Nets have fizzled out ​, giving up 113.2 points per 100 possessions in their past eight games, ranking 25th in the league in that span. They also lost depth. Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen have been key players for the Nets up to this point. Kyrie Irving is currently out, Kevin Durant is coming off a torn Achilles. They can survive without one star, but if another goes down, that could spell trouble for the Nets. However, championships are won with talent, and the Brooklyn Nets have the most of it. The only team that can make the argument is the Los Angeles Lakers, and even they have one less All-Star. The Nets won't have another first-round pick until 2028, so they better win a championship before that. Houston Rockets: ​The Rockets made it clear they wanted a young franchise player plus draft picks in return for the Beard. The Rockets failed to do that. Yes, they acquired Victor Oladipo after swapping him for Caris LeVert, but Oladipo is a free agent after this year. Considering the quickly diminishing free agency class this summer, Oladipo may be set for a huge payday. More than the Rockets may want to offer. That would mean the Rockets traded James Harden than Caris LeVert before letting Victor Oladipo walk for free. That's the worst-case scenario, though. The good news is the Rockets have perfectly executed the beginning of a successful rebuild, stocking up on future unprotected draft picks for the next half-decade. Rockets fans have a John Wall and Victor Oladipo backcourt that is guaranteed to be exciting. Indiana Pacers: ​Among the madness, the Pacers pulled off an old fashioned player swap receiving Caris LeVert from the Brooklyn Nets/Houston Rockets. From a distance, you wonder, what's the point? Oladipo is an All-Star calibre player, and Caris LeVert is on his way to becoming one. Remember, the Pacers have not paid the luxury tax since 2011. That is not what the Pacers do. Caris LeVert is having a breakout season averaging 18.5 points, six assists and four rebounds. LeVert is only 26 years old, full of potential and is only due $36 million over the next two seasons. Considering Oladipo is a free agent this offseason and may make $36 million per season, this was another sneaky good move by the organization. It also keeps the Pacers competitive in the East.

Cleveland Cavaliers: ​The Cavs also have to feel good after the dust has settled. The Cavs are loaded with big men, but Andre Drummond and Kevin Love don't fit the Cavaliers' ideal timeline of winning. We can safely assume both big men will not be around in a couple of seasons. Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, both coming from Brooklyn, are still entering their primes. Allen has blossomed alongside star-level talent in Brooklyn, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goal percentage this season. Although he won't have that in Cleveland, he's shown enough growth to believe he can be a reliable centre for years to come. One team in particular that has to feel sour about this blockbuster is the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers could have pulled the trigger months ago if they were willing to let go of point guard Ben Simmons. We've seen the Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons combination for long enough to see something is wrong. A Harden/Simmons swap could have made every team happy. Luckily for the 76ers, they have had a great start to the season. Will it be enough to overcome the triple-headed monster that is Irving, Harden and Durant? I wouldn't bet on it.