Houston cashes in on No. 3 overall pick in Harden trade to Nets

When the Brooklyn Nets traded a boatload of draft picks to the Houston Rockets in January of 2021 for James Harden, they thought it would be a finishing piece to a championship team. 

Nearly 3 and 1/2 years later, the Nets are without a championship, without their own draft picks for the 2024 NBA Draft, and Houston was awarded with the number three overall pick, via Brooklyn.

The Nets took a gamble but it did not pay off. Harden played 80 games in Nets uniform, and his tenure was marred by injury and locker room dysfunction. 

While most pro scouts believe this is a particularly weak draft class, the Nets not holding a single pick is less than ideal for a club that is looking to build for the future. 

Representing the Rockets at the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery was none other than Ime Udoka, a former assistant with the Nets under Steve Nash, and a coach that was finalizing a deal to become Brooklyn's next head coach in 2022.

After Kyrie Irving promoted a film with anti-semitic tropes via his Instagram and Udoka was dismissed from the Celtics due to improper workplace conduct, it was reported both the Nets and the NBA came together to nix the idea in light of all the controversy swirling about. 

The Nets will always be linked to their first big three trade with Boston that netted the Celtics Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Now they'll find out who the Rockets will take with the trade that will always link them to James Harden landing with the Nets.