The James Harden Trade: The True Winners

One National Basketball Association (NBA) team just lost another superstar in a trade. Another just received another big name to its already loaded squad. 

The James Harden saga has finally reached its climax as Harden was sent packing for Brooklyn after being included in a four-team blockbuster on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time). 

The Brooklyn Nets are set to receive James Harden from the Houston Rockets as a part of the four-team deal that also included Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Rockets are set to receive Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, three first-round picks from the Nets, a first-round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks, (via Cleveland), and a total of four first-round pick swaps with the Nets. Indiana got Caris LeVert from Brooklyn plus a second-round draft pick while Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince are heading to Cleveland.

The big question now is this: who truly won this blockbuster deal?

For starters, James Harden has just gotten his wish of being traded to the Nets as Brooklyn has been one of his top preferred destinations. That reunites Harden with Kevin Durant whom he played alongside during their stint in Oklahoma City. That alone makes James Harden one of the true winners of this deal. 

The Nets are also the winners in this trade as they are also facing a saga of their own: the Kyrie Irving saga. 

With Irving still nowhere to be seen near Brooklyn and is under investigation by the NBA for an apparent violation of the health and safety protocols, the Harden deal gives Coach Steve Nash another superstar to complement Kevin  Durant. This will mean that the Nets now have two of the most unguardable players in the NBA today as the duo is averaging a combined 53 points per game this season. Add a Kyrie Irving and the Nets have a Big Three that is averaging 80 points per game. While it's yet to be seen how the trio will play together and if they can co-exist in the long run, it's a good problem to have if you're Steve Nash. It just boils down to finding the right mix.

Houston also wins this trade as they can now focus on rebuilding the franchise after losing Russell Westbrook and James Harden in a matter of months. Having those draft picks in the future plus a proven veteran in Oladipo will help the Rockets get a boost in the Western Conference. 

Photo is from Toronto Star