Houston Rockets general manager Rafael Stone cited the "flexibility" provided by the historic haul of first-round draft picks the franchise received in the James Harden trade as the reason he chose to deal the perennial MVP candidate to the Brooklyn Nets over other offers.
In the four-team trade officially finalized Saturday, Houston received three unprotected first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026) from the Nets, the Milwaukee Bucks' 2022 first-rounder via the Cleveland Cavaliers and the rights to swap first-round picks with Brooklyn in four other years. Former All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo, guard Dante Exum and forward Rodions Kurucs also headed to Houston in the deal.