Nets' Reportedly Acquire James Harden After Deal Culminated Quickly

The which sent Rockets star James Harden to the Nets culminate quickly on Wednesday afternoon.

James Harden has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a blockbuster trade, per multiple reports. Harden is joining his former teammate Kevin Durant and All-Star Kyrie Irving.

As part of the multi-team trade, the Rockets received Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three Nets first rounders ('22, '24, '26), one Bucks unprotected first round pick in 2022 and four Nets pick swaps in ('21, '23, '25, '27), according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.

The Pacers received Caris LeVert and a second-round pick and the Cavaliers received Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince. Earlier Wednesday, there were reports of Harden being dealt to the Nets or the 76ers.

As The Athletic's Sam Amick and Shams Charania reported earlier Wednesday, the Nets were preparing a package that included all of their four future first-round picks and three future pick swaps and that a deal was to culminate quickly. FOX Sports' Nick Wright also reported the Nets were prepared to offer anyone that Houston wanted aside from star forward Kevin Durant in exchange for Harden.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, Houston's talks with the Sixers and Nets had gathered momentum in recent days. According to The Athletic, the Rockets also explored a possible 76ers package centered on Ben Simmons. However, Philadelphia's head of basketball operations Daryl Morey told The Athletic in mid-December that "[Simmons] is an important part of our future. According to The New York Times, Sixers rookie guard Tyrese Maxey would also be headlined in a possible deal. 

According to Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, teams involved in the talks were getting indications that the Rockets had been preparing to move quickly towards an agreement.

The Athletic's Kelly Iko reported Wednesday that Harden underscored his desire to be traded from the organization after Houston's loss to the Lakers on Jan. 10.

After Tuesday's loss to the Lakers, Harden addressed his current situation in Houston, calling it "crazy."

"I love this city," Harden said. "I literally have done everything that I can. I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed."

On Wednesday, head coach Stephen Silas said the Rockets decided it was in the team's best interest for James Harden "not to come to practice."

The Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers had also previously been reported to be among Harden's preferred destinations, in addition to the Nets and 76ers.

Harden, 31, has two years remaining on his contract, plus a player option for the 2022–23 season. He is averaging 24.8 points and 10.4 assists per game for a Rockets team that has the second-worst record in the Western Conference.