Report: Houston Rockets trade James Harden to Brooklyn Nets in blockbuster deal

Ben Rohrbach  6 hrs ago

In a blockbuster trade, the Houston Rockets have agreed to send one-time NBA MVP and three-time reigning scoring champion James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported.

Houston will acquire Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four first-round picks and four first-round pick swaps in the four-team deal, which also includes the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers, per Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince will be sent from Brooklyn to Cleveland. In return for Oladipo, the Pacers will receive Caris LeVert and a second-round pick.

The four draft picks and the pick swaps are all unprotected, according to Charania. One of the picks going to Houston reportedly includes the 2022 first-round pick Cleveland previously acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavaliers are also sending a 2024 second-round pick to the Nets in the four-team trade.

The deal sends Harden to his preferred trade destination. In Brooklyn, he will be reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant and join a backcourt that includes All-Star Kyrie Irving. The trio of All-NBA-caliber stars, including two former MVPs, make the Nets an Eastern Conference favorite.