HARDEN HEADS TO BROOKLYN!

In a four-team trade, the Brooklyn Nets acquired guard James Harden from the Houston Rockets; the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired center Jarrett Allen and forwards Taurean Prince and Aleksandar Vezenkov from the Nets; Houston acquired guard Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers, forward Rodions Kurucs, a first-round draft pick in 2022, a first-round draft pick in 2024, a first-round draft pick in 2026, the right to swap first-round draft picks in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027 from the Nets, and guard Dante Exum and a first-round draft pick in 2022 from the Cavaliers; Indiana acquired guard Caris LeVert and cash from the Nets, a second-round draft pick in 2023 from the Rockets and a second-round draft pick in 2024 from the Cavaliers.

What does it give the Brooklyn Nets
It was inevitable that Harden was going to be dealt, and his preferred destination all along was Brooklyn. As a Net, Harden is now reunited with Kevin Durant (his running mate in OKC at the start of his career) and will share the backcourt with Kyrie Irving. This move strengthens Brooklyn while also depleting them a bit in terms of overall depth. Nets GM Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash hope that the three superstars can carry the load.

What does it give the Cleveland Cavaliers
For Cleveland, this deal adds two more elements to an already-crowded frontcourt. Allen must now share time at center with Andre Drummond and veteran JaVale McGee. Something has to give. Meanwhile, Prince could see time at both forward positions but may not see huge minutes off the bench when (if) the Cavaliers are completely healthy. Expect the Cavs to make more deals before the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

What does it give the Houston Rockets
Houston had little choice but to move Harden, who became largely disinterested in sticking with the program after the off-season departure of veteran coach Mike D'Antoni (who is now an assistent coach for Nash with Brooklyn). The Rockets will suffer through a lengthy rebuilding program now, although Oladipo is a nice building block acquired from Indiana in this deal. Kurucs and Exum are largely unproven commodities in the NBA.

What does it give the Indiana Pacers
For Indiana, this deal is essentially a one-for-one swap of Oladipo for LeVert. The Pacers get the younger off-guard, but also a player currently sidelined indefinitely due to a kidney issue. The only way Indiana can declare victory from this trade is if LeVert returns to form quickly and establishes himself as a key cog in the Indiana attack. Indiana also managed to land two second-round draft picks and some cash in this massive transaction.

Fantasy impact
Harden, Oladipo and LeVert should all benefit from moving to their respective new teams, while Allen is likely the short-term loser here. If Cleveland moves on from Drummond, Allen may emerge as a superstar center. However, he will need more minutes to get there. Prince's value remains low even after the deal, while neither Kurucs nor Exum are recommendable fantasy assets at this time. Lastly, Vezenkov is not expected to head over to the NBA anytime soon, so he can be largely ignored.