The James Harden trade is looking uglier and uglier for the Rockets

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  • The Rockets wanted draft picks and Victor Oladipo for James Harden, and it now doesn't look good.

  • On Thursday, the Rockets traded Oladipo for a pittance - two veteran role players and a pick swap.

  • The Rockets own several future first-round picks but no young players to build their future around.

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Few NBA teams ever land on their feet when a superstar demands a trade, but the Houston Rockets, in particular, are facing a massive setback.

The Rockets made a peculiar decision when they decided to trade James Harden: they prioritized getting draft picks back instead of young players.

In a four-team deal, the Rockets sent Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, getting a smorgasbord of picks in exchange. In the process, they received Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers.

The return only stands out because of what the Rockets could have landed but did not. The Rockets did not take back Caris LeVert, a young scoring wing, or Jarrett Allen, a solid defensive center from the Nets. They also reportedly turned down Ben Simmons from the Philadelphia 76ers, perhaps out of spite.

Oladipo was a gamble for the Rockets. A two-time All-Star from 2017-2019, Oladipo has struggled to regain that form after a serious quadriceps injury in 2019. He is also an impending free agent. The Rockets were hoping he could rebound - and if he didn't, they could flip him at the trade deadline for more assets.

On Thursday, the Rockets did just that, sending Oladipo to the Heat for a package of Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, and a pick swap - an alarmingly weak package for a player of Oladipo's caliber.

Oladipo has not been efficient this season and hasn't looked like himself in two years. He also turned down a two-year extension from the Rockets. But even if Oladipo's name might currently be more attractive than his game, it's hard to chalk up the Rockets' gamble as anything more than a failure.

After trading Rodions Kurucs and P.J. Tucker to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in March, here is who the Rockets received for Harden:

  • Dante Exum (via the Cavs)

  • Avery Bradley (via the Heat)

  • Kelly Olynyk (via the Heat)

  • D.J Augustin (via the Bucks)

  • D.J. Wilson (via the Bucks)

Meanwhile, Allen is starting for the Cavs, averaging 13.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks. LeVert missed time when he had to have a mass removed from his kidney, but in seven games with the Pacers, he is averaging 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. LeVert is just 26 and under contract for two more years.

Underwhelming as the Rockets' return may look, the key is the draft picks. The Rockets own three of the Nets' first-round picks and the right to swap four other picks. Holding that amount of draft capital - especially from a super-team that is likely to move into a new era by the time some of those picks convey - keeps the trade from being a failure.

Of course, it also means the Rockets have come away with very few concrete assets. Some of those Nets picks will be late first-rounders. Other times, the Rockets might not want to swap picks if their first-round pick is higher than the Nets'.

And while owning draft picks is good, they are all dart-throws; there's no guarantee the Rockets find franchise players with any of those picks. It's why teams trading a superstar often demand young players and draft picks from teams. The New Orleans Pelicans received Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Hart from the Los Angeles Lakers when they traded Anthony Davis. Meanwhile, the Rockets have very little to show (yet) for trading their franchise superstar.

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