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James Harden's future with the Houston Rockets had been hanging by a thread for some time. After the shooting guard announced that his side wasn't good enough to compete with the best, the LA Lakers, it took less than 24 hours for the franchise to find their long-standing star a new home.
Now that the dust has settled on the James Harden fiasco in Houston and the guard is reportedly heading to the Brooklyn Nets, we can examine who the winners and losers from the trade will be.
Biggest Winners as James Harden moves to Brooklyn
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James Harden
The biggest winner to come out of the announcement is undoubtedly the former MVP himself, James Harden. At 31, the 3-time leading-scorer of the NBA felt his time with the Houston Rockets was up and it was now right to seriously hunt a championship that has thus far eluded him before going beyond his peak.
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Harden was a valiant servant to the Houston Rockets with whom he spent 8 seasons. In that time, the Rockets finished top of the West during the 2017-18 regular season and reached the Conference Finals twice.
Now that James Harden is in Brooklyn alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, he may finally be able to clinch his first ring. So far this season, he has averaged 24.8 points and 10 assists and will likely improve these numbers straight away once linking up with the Nets two superstars.
Also check out: James Harden Contract Breakdown
Brooklyn Nets
James Harden's new side, the Brooklyn Nets, have also emerged out of this trade as huge winners.
Already among the favorites in the East, the Nets have thrown the NBA into disarray with their mega trade for Harden. Having a big-three of KD, Kyrie Irving and James Harden will strike fear into opposition defenses and will be one of the most lethal offensive trios in the league.
The most recent example of three superstars combining to dominate was during Kevin Durant's stay in Oakland, where he, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson secured two NBA Championships together. Brooklyn will feel that their current setup is even stronger which makes for a very exciting season ahead for Nets fans.
Houston Rockets
Having finally put the whole situation behind them, the Houston Rockets are our final winners from the James Harden trade. Out of the deal, the Rockets have received 4 future first-round picks, 4 future first-round swaps, Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs.
Their current draft package is now one of the strongest in the league's history and has solidified their future or could be used in potential deals down the line. Oladipo being on an expiring contract also gives the Rockets time to decide whether they keep the shooting guard in the long-term.
Therefore, not only have the Rockets secured the future of the franchise but have offloaded a player who was becoming increasingly disgruntled and had caused irreparable fractures within the side.
Biggest Losers out of James Harden's departure from Houston
Jarrett Allen
Such is the nature of the business, there are always players who lose out on a mega deal that is out of their control. Unfortunately in this case, it is the Brooklyn Nets' former center Jarrett Allen who has been shipped out to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs currently sit 11th in the East with a 5-7 record and have thus far outperformed many expectations. Gaining Allen is nothing short of a coup for Cleveland who only had to give up one future first-round pick in the deal. Allen is currently averaging 11 points, 10 rebounds and 1.6 blocks and will be an excellent replacement for Andre Drummond when he enters free agency.
For Allen, however, the deal is extremely gut-wrenching. The young center has spent his 3 seasons in the league with the Nets and will feel aggrieved having proved himself as a future Brooklyn star before Irving and Durant arrived. Considering Cleveland's cap space, Allen may not be with the side for long and will perhaps feel his talents are suited to a championship-worthy team.
Brooklyn Nets' future
Wednesday's blockbuster announcement is riddled with similarities to the Brooklyn Nets' deal for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry back in 2013. Then, and now, the Nets traded away their future picks for success.
Although their current stars are arguably a better trio given their age, the point stands that the supporting cast and franchise's future prospects are worse off. The former greats were unable to lift the Nets to a championship during their stay in Brooklyn and the negative variables that could go wrong are just as great this time around.
Whether the Nets are able to be successful this season remains to be seen. However, fans will be hoping not only for a championship but for the security this brings knowing their stars are more likely to stay. This will be the only way to avoid the bleak outlook that faces the Nets having given up their future.
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