Finally, James Harden joins KD at Nets in a four-team trade.

Four NBA teams decided to switch leagues through a big change, and they did so on Wednesday.

The Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers launched a four-team blockbuster that sent 2018 NBA MVP and three-time scoring champion James Harden to the Nets. He will join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (maybe) at the Barclays Center.

These are the highlights of the trade published so far:

• The Nets acquired Harden and a 2024 second-round pick, trading Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, three first-round picks and four draft changes.

• The Rockets traded Harden and a 2023 second-round pick, acquired Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four first-round players (2022, 2022 from Milwaukee Bucks from Cavaliers, 2024 and 2026) and four first-round trades round (2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027), all unprotected.

• The Pacers acquired LeVert and a second round in 2023, they traded Oladipo.

• The Cavaliers traded Exum and a second round in 2024, they acquired Allen and Prince.

After the second straight and humiliating loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Harden told a news conference: “Honestly, we’re not even close to, obviously, the defending champs (Lakers) and all the other elite teams. I mean. , You can tell the difference in these last two games. Chemistry, talent, everything. It’s clear. I love this city. I literally did everything I could. It’s crazy. I don’t think it can be fixed. Thank you. “

That was probably the last straw that broke the camel’s back and led the Rockets to make a decision for the trade.

They were reportedly more interested in trading Harden for Ben Simmons with the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the 76ers did not want to trade Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and Tyrese Maxey together for Harden and therefore turned down the deal. That’s probably why the Rockets turned to the Nets.

Of course, that didn’t stop the Rockets from winning so much from the trade.

When Oladipo was healthy, he was a two-time All-Star. In 2018, he was also named All-NBA Third Team and Defensive First Team. He averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.4 steals that season. Oladipo has only been held for injuries since.

So is John Wall and he seems to be on the mend with the Rockets. There’s a good chance that he and Oladipo can form a superior defensive pair this time. Even if Oladipo really loses his edge or doesn’t build chemistry with the team, he only has one year left on his contract. The Rockets can just let him go in the summer of 2021. His future is more than bright with the tons of first-round picks they received through the trade.

The deal didn’t hurt the Pacers either. Oladipo has played 69 games (including four playoff games) for the team since the 2017-18 season. The Pacers already knew how to play without him, not to mention the drama Oladipo caused regarding his stance not to extend their deal.

LeVert has shown what he is capable of in the Orlando bubble last season. Although he went through some ups and downs this season due to his role with the Nets, the 26-year-old has the potential to be a team leader. The Pacers can rely on Malcolm Brogdon to handle the ball, Domantas Sabonis to work the offense under the rim and Myles Turner to protect the rim. LeVert has what they can’t provide: explosive athleticism and the ability to pierce defenses.

By the way, LeVert is also two years younger than Oladipo and has three years left on his contract worth a very cheap $ 52.5 million.

The Cavaliers have almost no plans for Exum, so they hardly felt anything about letting him go. They landed Allen, a young rim protector who can always be in the top 10 plays of the day by making a nasty block. If you’re concerned about their strength, the Cavaliers have Andre Drummond for that and now they have probably the most comprehensive group of great defenders: JaVale McGee, Drummond, Larry Nance Jr. and Allen.

Additionally, the Cavaliers are currently the second-best defensive team in the league. Don’t be surprised if Allen helps them improve even more.

Finally, let’s talk about the Nets.

Harden and Durant claimed seven of the 11 scoring titles between 2010 and 2020. Harden, Irving and Durant are the top 10 isolation scorers in NBA history. Each of them can score more than 50 points in a game for as long as they want.

When all three are on the court, the opponents don’t even have enough manpower to double-team everyone.

However, their use last season was 36.3 percent (Harden), 32.6 percent (Irving), and 29.0 percent (Durant, 2018-19). Harden and Russell Westbrook together made 2,795 field goal attempts last season. None of the rest of the Rockets reached even 600. Harden and Irving needed to dribble the ball to find a rhythm before launching the offense.

When Durant won two consecutive championships in the Golden State Warriors, he was in Steve Kerr’s give-and-take system, not to mention it was Stephen Curry, one of the greatest off-ball superstars in NBA history, who is playing. next to him. Now Durant will be teammates with two dibbling monsters.

However, the Nets have to make this trade. Both Durant and Irving have the option of becoming free agents in the summer of 2022, leaving the team just two years away from pursuing the throne. Now they have ruled out Spencer Dinwiddie due to injury, Irving is once again lost in his own world and Durant, who suffered an Achilles tendon injury less than two years ago, is overworked on the court to lead the team.

Getting Harden can at least keep the Nets competitive in the regular season. If Irving still wants to play basketball, he and the other two have the potential to become the most powerful offensive team in history.

Of course, the Nets no longer enjoy depth in their lineup. Steve Nash may have to go extreme in the rotation. The new Big 3 plus Joe Harris will definitely take four spots in the clutch timing lineup. The perimeter defense they can offer raises the need to keep someone with both size and power in the paint. That should be DeAndre Jordan, but he’s been watching his minutes drop on the court since this season began. Maybe Nash will have to bet on the small ball team where Jeff Green plays center.

One financial consequence of the four-team trade is that both the Rockets and Pacers managed to lower their salaries below the luxury tax line. Compared to them, the Nets will see Durant, Harden and Irving earn more than $ 115 million this season. That’s already bigger than the total salary of five NBA teams. Nets owner Joseph Tsai said at the start of the season that he is not afraid of taxes. Now you understand. Will be worth? Who knows.