Nets acquire James Harden in blockbuster trade

The Brooklyn Nets have traded for James Harden. It happened!

The Brooklyn Nets now consist of a three-star trio featuring a rehabilitated Kevin Durant, a disappearing point guard, and a mercurial shooting guard who just ate his way out of his long-time home.

Best of luck, Steve Nash!

After weeks of speculation, a dead period, and the late-surging Philadelphia 76ers offer that reportedly included Ben Simmons (?!), the James Harden trade rumors came to a head on Wednesday afternoon, as the shooting guard found his way to Brooklyn, gutting all of the Nets’ draft capital.

Billy King would be proud.

And yes, the package is massive. Against anyone’s better judgment, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen are on the way out of town, and several more teams will be involved by the time the proceedings are done.

Our jaws are on the floor.

Seconds after this initial update (thanks for getting involved, Cavs!), Shams Charania reported that LeVert was, in fact, heading to Indianapolis in exchange for Victor Oladipo. So that’s another disgruntled former All-Star heading to a fresh start and he’s not even in the bold-faced headline of this deal.

Wild.

For the time being, the Nets will be dangerously thin (sure), but they’ve also assembled perhaps the most illustrious Big Three of the Player Empowerment Era. Will this entice Kyrie Irving to return to action sooner rather than later? It’s a bit of a shock that this deal wasn’t centered around him, as a matter of fact.

Harden is a generational scorer who led the Rockets repeatedly to the precipice of toppling the Warriors in the Western Conference, but couldn’t get over the hump with sidekicks Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. His recent behavior, from breaking COVID protocols to rejecting his teammates’ advances in the name of escaping Houston, doesn’t inspire confidence.

But Brooklyn wouldn’t be making this deal — which did not come at any sort of discount — without the go-ahead from Mike D’Antoni, Harden’s former head man.

In case it wasn’t obvious from the outset of 2020-21, this is now a “championship or bust” season in Brooklyn, heightened to the maximum. 24 hours ago, we were told this franchise needed to be upended after banking on Irving.

This would mark a change of direction, though not the one most expected.

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