It’s Championship or Bust for the Brooklyn Nets

The ongoing trade saga surrounding James Harden has come to an abrupt end with a four-way deal sending the superstar to Brooklyn to join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The Cavaliers and Pacers also joined in on the deal as Cleveland received Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, with Caris Levert headed to Indiana with a second-round pick. Houston received Victor Oladipo Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four first-round picks, and four pick swaps. Unsurprising, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Romona Shelburn were the first to report on the deal, which was on the horizon for quite some time.

The news was revealed just hours after the Rockets told Harden that he was not welcome at practice following his comments about the team in a press conference after their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The original trade included 3 teams, but the Pacers were added last minute as Oladipo now joins up with John Wall and Demarcus Cousins to somewhat alleviate the loss of Harden.

The Brooklyn Nets now have an ultimatum, win a championship, or simply the season is a bust. The deal has again sounded alarms across the NBA, especially with three superstars teaming up in the Eastern Conference; pundits are tipping the team to at the very least progress to the finals. The most pressing question right now is the ongoing absence of Kyrie Irving for personal reasons, although a video surfaced online showing Irving without a mask at a birthday party. Harden’s introduction will help coach Steve Nash ease their backcourt problems. With Spencer Dinwiddie suffering a partial ACL tear and Irving absent, the Nets are in dire need of a dominant ball handler.

Once Irving returns, the issues arise; Harden has a history of struggling with ball-dominant teammates, and one can only wonder how Kyrie will react if asked to be the third option in the Nets offense. Two-time champion Kevin Durant is a guarantee to be the primary choice, so it’s between Irving and Harden to see who will be the second option.

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Before the season started, the Nets had one of the deepest rosters. They made the playoffs without Durant and Irving, who sat out most of the season, so adding in two superstars would only help their chances at taking out the Eastern Conference. With all this said, the loss of Jarrett Allen to the Cavs and Caris Levert to Indiana coupled with Spencer Dinwiddie’s long-term injury, the trade deal has its risks. Specifically, Allen’s departure means the Nets are very thin at the center position, where an injury to Deandre Jordan would be the worst-case scenario, with inexperienced Nicolas Claxton the only other option. Jordan has only played more than 20 minutes once this season, so it’s clear he will be relied on heavily as Brooklyn looks to fill their remaining roster spots.

Despite a strong 44 point performance to start the season in a loss to the Portland Trailblazers, Harden has struggled to find his dominant form. The Nets will be hoping his slump is a result of wanting a trade away from Houston. The regular season has always been a consistent aspect of Harden’s career, so Brooklyn’s gamble looks to be the right move. However, time will tell to see if he can change his fortune during the post-season.

The biggest positive for the Nets in this trade deal is they will be able to spread out their minutes, so Harden’s struggles during the playoffs could be minimised or even extinguished with the help of Irving and Durant. This is possible if Steve Nash decides to stagger his stars’ playing time, with Durant and Irving expected to play with each other more regularly. This means Harden may be given Caris Levert’s role but as a starter to help lead the second team so Brooklyn can have three of the best shooters in the league on every moment of a game.

This is by far Harden’s best opportunity to win a championship; with all the Hall of Famers he has played with, Durant is easily the most accomplished and talented. The Nets have clearly shown their urgency to win now, they have given up on their future for the next four years, so it will be interesting to see how well Harden fits into the team and if the absence of Kyrie Irving ends up hurting the team in the long run.

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