By MELMAR ACE DELA FUENTE and RHAN MORALEDA, Basketball Republic
DUST is clear. The deal is done.
In a massive four-team trade, many big-name players have gone to new destinations and a whole bunch of future draft picks in the NBA were moved. It is a deal that definitely shakes up the dynamic of the league and had been the talk of the basketball world as it happened. All four teams had differing agendas but everyone surely took the step that they thought would be beneficial for the future of their franchise. But who really won this wild trade? Let’s jump into the trade grades.
Grade A-: Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden
Adding an already known prolific scorer, a high-caliber facilitator, and foul-magnet in James Harden into the mighty duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will create fear in other teams. However, it still not a walk in the park for the team towards the NBA championship as other elite teams in the East will surely prepare for them, especially the defending Eastern Conference Champions – Miami Heat. Hopefully the “seven seconds or less” offensive scheme will work on him and his play will return to MVP caliber we’ve known him to be now that he got his wish to be traded to a contender team. Steve Nash may have a hard time building up the chemistry of this roster and will have countless sleepless nights as to how he will work with the attitude of his star players, but once he handles it well, surely they will meet the best team in the West come July. Overall, the Nets became more of an offensive juggernaut but they have done it at the expense of mortgaging their future to try and win a championship. The Nets’ championship-level Big Three of Kyrie, KD, and Harden are all still in their prime, but that’s a championship contender only for a few more seasons. Hopefully, they will not put to waste their future draft picks as they have done back in 2013.
Nets: Tier 1- Championship contender
Grade A+: Houston Rockets acquired Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, Dante Exum, 4 1st round picks and 4 picks swaps
The real winner of this trade is the Houston Rockets. They have acquired a two-way player in Victor Oladipo who will surely complement John Wall and two rotation pieces in Rodions Kurucs and Dante Exum. Another factor is the expiring contracts of Oladipo and Exum. The Oladipo we’ve watched in his breakout season in 2017-2018 may show up as he is targeting a max deal that the Rockets might offer him if they decide to make Oladipo a part of the future of the franchise while they can just let go of Exum. Plus, the icing on the cake are the multiple draft picks they acquired which they can use to secure the future of their franchise. Without Harden, Christian Wood will likely blossom, too as a franchise player of the team in two to three years, and the veteran presence of DeMarcus Cousins will surely help him improve.
Rockets: Tier 2- Playoff contender
Grade A: Indiana Pacers acquired Caris LeVert and one second-round pick
The Pacers exchanged an injury-plagued veteran into a future NBA star. Actually, Victor Oladipo already wanted to have a change in scenery last summer because of a contract issue where Oladipo feels he was underpaid, but instead of having a drama, he chose to be silent with his demand to look more professional. Hopefully, Caris may gel well with Pacers stars like Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, and Domantas Sabonis. Surely, LeVert can really make an immediate impact on the team and he can give solid numbers night in and night out. It was a gamble with a high risk, high reward for the Pacers so they can just cross their fingers and hope that LeVert could reach his full potential with the team.
Pacers: Tier 2- Playoff contender
Grade A: Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince
The Cavs upgraded their defense by having Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince. They might be loaded with big men as of the moment so somehow we are thinking that a trade may happen involving some of their bigs as the season progresses. The Cavs somehow secured their future because even if Andre Drummond jumps the boat next season as he will become a free agent, they still have a reliable big man in Jarett because as a restricted free agent, the Cavs can match offers for Allen. He can be their franchise big man and together with Isaac Okoro, Darius Garland, and Collin Sexton, Cleveland certainly can look forward to a decent future ahead of them.
Cavaliers: Tier 4- Rebuilding team
It’s not every year that we have a blockbuster trade involving superstars and future stars. Let’s enjoy differing opinions on it first and see in the future who really benefited from it.
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