BKNReceived
PJames HardenFour-team superstar trade · January 16, 2021
The four-team trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn
Brooklyn acquired James Harden while Houston received players, four first-round picks and four swap rights; Cleveland and Indiana supplied additional branches.
See where this happened in the 2021 trade deadline →The original receipt
Every asset in the deal
Each team panel shows the players and draft assets it received.
To BKN
To HOU20221STround asset+2 assets
To CLE
To IND20232NDround asset20242NDround asset+1 assetsHOUReceived
PVictor OladipoHouston Rockets
PDante Exum
PRodions Kurucs
#Brooklyn first-round picks: 2022, 2024, 2026
#Milwaukee 2022 first-round pickVia Cleveland.
SBrooklyn first-round swaps: 2021, 2023, 2025, 2027
CLEReceived
PJarrett AllenPTaurean PrinceCleveland Cavaliers
INDReceived
PCaris LeVertIndiana Pacers
#Houston 2023 second-round pick
#2024 second-round pick via Cleveland
+Cash considerations from Brooklyn
Why it happened
The bet each side made
Brooklyn pursued a third superstar. Houston sought draft control, Cleveland added a young center, and Indiana replaced Oladipo with LeVert.
Why history remembers it
One superstar move connected four different team-building timelines, with players and draft rights spreading well beyond Brooklyn and Houston.
The family tree
Where the picks and rights went
Selections, swaps and later trades are traced separately so a downstream player is not mistaken for a direct one-for-one return.
- 01
Victor Oladipo's path · traded
From the Paul George deal to Houston
Indiana acquired Oladipo alongside Sabonis in 2017. This four-team deal is the next transaction on Oladipo's branch.
To OKCWhat changed
The consequences
- Brooklyn formed a Durant–Harden–Irving superteam.
- Houston acquired years of control over Brooklyn's draft.
- Cleveland landed Jarrett Allen through the four-team construction.
Principal profiles