Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 James Harden trades involving the Wolves

3 James Harden trades with the Minnesota Timberwolves: Brooklyn Nets

The trade was slightly modified amidst the breaking report on late Monday night from Adrian Wojnarowski that Robert Covington was traded to Portland in exchange for Trevor Ariza and two first round picks.

While the idea of Robert Covington returning to Minnesota would have been fun, this trade still has potential to help all three teams involved.

For Minnesota, this trade brings in two proven commodities in the NBA. Caris LeVert has steadily improved over the course of his career into a proven scorer, averaging 18.7 points per game last season in Brooklyn.

PJ Tucker is a seasoned 3-and-D veteran who would fit well in the Wolves’ 3-heavy offense. Tucker would be a tremendous defensive influence on the Wolves young squad who had the worst defense in the NBA. Losing Culver and Johnson would be significant defensively, but LeVert and Tucker would help fill the defensive void while contributing more on offense.

For the Nets, James Harden comes at a significant price. Dinwiddie and Jordan in particular were set to have large roles on this Nets team in the absence of the acquisition of third star. However, it would be difficult for any team in the NBA to say no to the league’s leading scorer, especially with the possibility of pairing him with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

For the Rockets, this is a large haul in terms of players. Dinwiddie and DeAndre Jordan would immediately start for the Rockets, and players like Taurean Prince and James Johnson would be significant two-way contributors off the bench. The Rockets would also benefit form Johnson’s expiring contract and three first round picks, which could be used to to select cheap, young players or to be used as trade pieces.

There’s no replacing James Harden, but this trade offers diverse compensation for the Rockets that would help them move forward without a full-on rebuild.