If you’ve made it this far, I’m sure you’re aware that Woj and Shams reported that James Harden was finally traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets. I’ve posted previous articles about other components of this trade like Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, and of course James Harden and his fit with the Brooklyn Nets. Today, I want to focus on the Rockets, and what they were able to get back in this trade.
First and foremost, I think the Rockets won this trade by a mile. Yes, the Nets got a former MVP in the trade. Yes, the Cavs got their Center of the Future. Yes, Indiana got back a spark plug scorer to add to the already impressive starting five. I think that the Rockets were able to get back something even more important than all of that: a future.
The Houston Rockets have obviously had success over their history of being a franchise. They won two NBA Championships in 1994 and 1995, they had the successful Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming years, and for the past nine seasons, they’ve had James Harden who is an undisputed elite scorer and play-maker. Without much bad luck, other than injuries, the Houston Rockets have been very blessed with talent for the majority of their existence. As of late, though, they have made some hiccups along the way.
Whether it is a wrong fit beside James Harden, paying too much for free agents, or giving up too much when trading for other players like Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook, the Rockets, up until Wednesday, did not have much to look forward to when it comes to life after James Harden, and with the antics of Harden this off-season, that post-Harden future would soon become reality. After not reporting to training camp, finally showing up but out of shape, and then the snide comments to the media at every given turn, the final domino was the press conference heard around the world. Harden let it be known at that moment that the issues between himself and the organization “can’t be fixed.”
Once I heard this, I knew that we would have seen a trade sooner rather than later. Less than 24 hours later, we got our blockbuster. Harden goes off to assemble, on paper, the most talented trio of scorers the league has ever seen. The Rockets were able to come out even, maybe even better because of the trade.
In the off-season, the Rockets were able to make a trade for former Wizards guard John Wall and a first round pick, while trading away Russell Westbrook. They also managed to sign DeMarcus Cousins on a team friendly deal, and with the steal of the off-season they signed Christian Wood on a three-year, $41 million deal. The Rockets had one of the better off-seasons in the league, and now with this trade, they can finally put behind the drama that was James Harden. They can now start to build a culture, as they prepare for the plethora of draft picks they got back. Four first round picks, and four pick swaps is quite the haul for one player, and I think that they can use them to their advantage if the Nets don’t work out, or they’re bad after KD and Kyrie leave/retire.
There is a risk with the Victor Oladipo trade, but I think that was a calculated risk. It has been known for a while that Victor Oladipo wanted out of Indiana, and was looking for a fresh start somewhere else. Innocent enough. Sometimes things just don’t work out and mesh, but in today’s Player Empowerment Era, players always have an idea of where they want to play next, and for Vic, that place is Miami. Oladipo has been rumored to still want to make his way to Miami this season, so there are only a couple different ways this season can go for him and the Rockets.
I completely expect Vic to play ball, be a team player, and work within the Rockets’ system. I don’t expect near the headache that Harden caused for the past three months. I’m sure, like he has up to this point, that he’ll come in to work, put his head down, and try to win basketball games. Up to this point, Oladipo has averaged 20 points and 4.2 assists per game, while shooting 36% from deep. With John Wall running the point, and Cousins, Wood, and PJ Tucker being able to defend and produce on the offensive end, Oladipo will slide right into the scoring guard role, and I’m sure he’ll continue to produce like he has this season.
What I expect for the rest of the season is that Vic plays well, great even, and gets dealt for more draft picks. It works out for both parties. Oladipo is a free agent at the end of this season, so it only makes sense that he gets traded one more time before the season is over. He gets a platform to prove to whoever wants to trade for him that he is back to All-Star level Oladipo, and the Rockets get a good shooting guard until the trade deadline.
My guess is that at the deadline, some contender trades for him to help them in the playoffs. Maybe Philly, maybe Toronto should they make the playoffs, maybe even the Celtics. What I expect to happen after this season is that he signs a deal with Miami, even if it isn’t a big money deal. He gets to play where he wants, and I think it might be a really good pairing with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. No matter what, he won’t be a Rocket for long, and with the bright future that the Rockets now possess, I think that’s okay.
Round The Game 
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