James Harden somehow made two of the Nets’ East opponents better

James Harden was a member of the Brooklyn Nets for less than 13 months before he requested a trade to the Sixers. Harden could’ve left Brooklyn empty-handed in the summer during free agency, so Sean Marks made the right decision to let go of him before then.

However, when Harden was traded to the Nets from the Rockets in Jan. of 2021, Brooklyn lost both Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert. Cleveland acquired Allen and LeVert went to Houston but was only there for a few days before being traded once again to Indiana.

Four days before this season’s Feb. 10 trade deadline, the Pacers traded LeVert to the Cavaliers. Allen and LeVert are back together once again on one of the top teams in the East.

That means that both Harden’s arrival and departure made two teams in Brooklyn’s conference better.

James Harden cost the Brooklyn Nets Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.

Ironically enough, on Monday, Philadelphia announced that Harden will be out through the All-Star break while he rehabs his hamstring injury. That means that the 10-time All-Star won’t be participating in the game in Cleveland on Feb. 20.

Because of that, Allen was chosen to take Harden’s place. The center deserves the honor and it’s fitting that he’ll get to play in front of the home crowd. No matter how happy Nets fans are for Allen, it still stings that the team traded him away in the first place.

Brooklyn no longer has Harden to show for Allen and LeVert’s departure.

In a stunning turn of events, the Cavaliers are in fourth place in the East with a 35-23 record. The Nets sit five places behind them in eighth at 31-27.

Allen’s having the best season of his six-year career and is averaging 16.2 points and 11 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 66.6% from the field. All three of those numbers are career-highs for the 23-year-old. His productivity and age are more than enough to make Brooklyn regret trading him over a year ago.

In the 39 games that LeVert played in for the Pacers, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and two steals per game. He shot 41.3% from the floor. The 27-year-old has played in four games with Cleveland and is averaging 13.3 points.

Up until the deadline, Brooklyn fans could find solace in the fact that Harden was on the team’s roster. That’s no longer the case.

At least the Nets still have Joe Harris, right? He was part of the legendary run to the playoffs at the end of the 2018-19 season. Let’s not think about the fact that there’s a chance that he could be out for the remainder of the year. Sigh.

We miss you both, Allen and LeVert. We’ll be rooting you on from afar (except when it comes to Brooklyn).

Kevin Durant opens up about Nets trading James Harden

Before the Brooklyn Nets took on the Miami Heat on Saturday, Kevin Durant spoke to the media about the James Harden trade.