After an offseason of whispered discontent grew stronger during the preseason and turned into a vocalized message on Tuesday, Houston Rockets star James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
There, he will be reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant.
In a four-team trade, the Rockets received Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three Brooklyn first-round picks, four first-round pick swaps and the 2022 Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Nets got Harden. The Indiana Pacers received Caris LeVert and a second-rounder while the Cleveland Cavaliers got Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Charania said.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Harden wished to play with Durant again.
Brooklyn has granted James Harden's wish to be reunited with Kevin Durant with the Nets. Huge haul for the Rockets, but the Nets were determined to get another All-NBA player in his prime — and get him with Harden. KD, Harden … and Kyrie Irving.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 13, 2021
Harden and Durant played together on the Thunder from 2009-12, a three-year span in which Oklahoma City rose from the depths of the draft lottery to an NBA Finals appearance.
Harden came off the bench during that time and was named the Sixth Man of the Year in 2011-12.
He was traded to the Rockets that offseason, ending their time together in OKC.
In Brooklyn, Harden won’t be back on the bench. He and Durant will start alongside third star Kyrie Irving as they try to make a push for a championship.
