Rockets won their first game after the blockbuster trade on Wednesday
Christian Wood had 27 points and 15 rebounds, Sterling Brown had a great performance with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists (as he replaced James Harden) and the Houston Rockets beat 109–105 San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Rockets traded Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team blockbuster trade on Wednesday. Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs, who the Rockets acquired along with numerous draft picks and draft swaps for Harden, are not with the team yet.
Harden had manifested his unhappiness with the team and there were many rumours that wanted him heading out of Houston. Factors such as him being out of shape and his efficiency going downhill were probably the implications that led the team to this direction. The Nets were the top on the list of suitors and even if there was a rumour that Irving had second thoughts about Harden joining him and Durant in Brooklyn or Durant refusing any mix in the negotiations, saying to media that he hasn’t talked to Harden -all of it has gone away as the deal became official.
After the second loss against the Lakers, Harden made it clear that he doesn’t like the potential of the team and he expressed his desire to be dealt away.
“We had a team meeting after that last game against the Lakers and we drew the line there,” Tate said. “Everybody has so much to prove.”
Keldon Johnson had a career-high 29 points and Lonnie Walker IV added 16 points for the Spurs.
“It’s got nothing to do with defense (or) offense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the late swoon. “It has to do with between the ears and being ready to play. And we had four or five guys who were out to lunch.”
MORE ABOUT THE TRADE
Nets sent center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince to Cleveland, and guard Caris LeVert and forward Rodions Kurucs, as well as three first round draft picks (2022, 2024 and 2026) and four first round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027) to Houston.
The Rockets also receive guard Dante Exum and a 2022 first round draft pick from Cleveland (via Milwaukee), and Brooklyn acquires a 2024 second round draft pick from the Cavaliers to complete the deal.
“Adding an All-NBA player such as James to our roster better positions our team to compete against the league’s best,” said General Manager Sean Marks. “James is one of the most prolific scorers and playmakers in our game, and we are thrilled to bring his special talents to Brooklyn. While we are excited to welcome James and his family to the Nets, we also want to thank the players who are departing. Caris, Jarrett, Rodions and Taurean were instrumental to the team’s success and have made an enormous impact on our organization. It has been a pleasure watching them grow both as players and as people and they will always be part of our Nets family. We wish each of them and their families all the best in the future.”
Harden has appeared in 841 games (628 starts) across 12 NBA seasons with Houston (2012–21) and Oklahoma City (2009–12), registering career averages of 25.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.3 minutes per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from 3-point range and 85.8 percent from the free-throw line. In the 2019–20 season, Harden recorded averages of 34.3 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the field, 35.5 percent shooting from distance and 86.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line with 6.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 36.5 minutes per game through 68 regular season games, earning All-NBA First Team honors for the fourth straight season and finishing third in MVP voting.
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