Nets set to become best team in the league following massive NBA trade
By Daniel Hernandez, Staff Writer
Earlier this month, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced a massive four team trade involving the Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers. One of the players involved in the trade is James Harden, who is hailed as the best shooting guard in the NBA and is widely considered to be one of the top players in the whole league. Harden was with the Rockets but has now been traded to the Nets, joining top players Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
“Adding an All-NBA player such as [Harden] to our roster better positions our team to compete against the league's best. [Harden] is one of the most prolific scorers and playmakers in our game, and we are thrilled to bring his special talents to Brooklyn,” the Nets General Manager, Sean Marks, said in a statement released by the Nets.
The Rockets would get Victor Oladipo (from the Pacers), Dante Exum (from the Cavaliers) and Rodions Kurucs (from the Nets). The Pacers would get Caris Levert (from the Rockets). Finally, the Cavaliers would get Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince (both from the Nets).
Because every team member who gets traded must undergo a physical examination with the new team, it was discovered early on that Levert had a cancerous growth on his kidney. A spokesperson for the team released a statement saying Levert has been diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer. He has undergone surgery to remove the growth, and is expected to make a full recovery.
This extraordinary exchange was allowed to take place because the NBA has what are called sign-and-trade deals. This means that a team signs an unrestricted free-agent player to then trade them to another team that the player chooses.
The reason that this trade is so massive is because with this acquisition, the Nets now have three of the top 10 scorers in the NBA this year: Harden, Irving and Durant. In theory, these three perennial all stars make them the best team in the league.
Luke Galvan (’21), a massive basketball fanatic who has been carefully following the trade, is shocked at the impressive team the Nets have built.
“If you would have told me in 2015 that [Harden], [Durant] and [Irving] would be on the same team I would have told you that you're crazy, but here we are,” Galvan said.
On paper, this trade was a major win for Harden and the Nets, but in reality, every team involved has prospered thus far. The Rockets have had the NBA’s best team defensive ratings since the trade and acquired four future first round draft picks. The Pacers and Cavaliers are both playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference with their new players. Lastly, the Nets, although off to a rocky start since the trade, have primed themselves with star players aspiring to win an NBA championship.