The biggest trade of the National Basketball Association season happened a couple of weeks ago. Point guard James Harden was traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets. Even though the Nets and the Rockets were the main attraction for this trade, there were two other teams included in the trade as well. The teams that were a part of the deal included the Brooklyn Nets, the Houston Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Indiana Pacers. The Nets received Harden and in a second-round pick, the Rockets received multiple players and multiple first-round picks. Many fans believe that Harden is a great player and could benefit almost any team he plays on.
“Harden’s ball skills combined with Kevin Durant’s and Kyrie Irving’s ability to shoot the ball will greatly benefit the team,” junior Jacob Moisa said.
In any trade, both teams will be affected in some way. This trade-in particular is making fans believe that the Nets will be finals contenders. Many believe that this was a smart trade for the Rockets for several reasons, one being that they got decent players and draft picks.
“I think this was a great trade for the Rockets because they got Caris Lavert, Rodions Kurucs, Victor Oladipo, three first-round draft picks and four first-round draft pick swaps,” junior Garrett Ray said.
Many people think that the Rockets made a bad decision by trading Harden, but a lot of people think Harden was trying to leave the Rockets anyway. He was beginning to be a locker room problem and the Rockets traded him for team relationships. No team in any sport wants bad team chemistry, especially in the NBA when Harden started to lose interest, the team knew they had to trade him away.
“The Rockets getting rid of Harden was more Harden than Rockets,” sophomore Donald Barnett said. “James Harden forced his way out and was beginning to be a locker room problem and it came down to Houston trading him for team chemistry. Even though the Rockets lost a superstar, they also gained draft picks which will help build the team’s future.”
After the deal was made, Harden played his first game with his new team. Harden finished his first game as a Net with a triple-double and posted 32 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists and four steals.
