Victor Oladipo traded to the Houston Rockets as part of James Harden trade

The Houston Rockets traded James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, leaving Victor Oladipo as a byproduct of the deal.

It has been reported that Victor Oladipo is going to the Houston Rockets as part of a package for the trade that sends James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. Caris LeVert, a guard for the Nets, is being sent back to the Indiana Pacers as part of the deal.

The Indiana Pacers got off to a great start this season but are ready to start fresh in the backcourt with Victor Oladipo now off the books. The Pacers will receive a great young player in LeVert, who is under contract until 2023. This also gets the Pacers under the luxury tax, which could open some doors in free agency.

Obviously, the big news of this trade is that the Brooklyn Nets have one of the best trios in the NBA with Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. If they stay healthy, they will be the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. For Indiana, this deal likely pushes them back a bit in terms of contending for a title this year, if that was even on the table to begin with.

Victor Oladipo will be missed as one of the best Pacers on the roster, despite a long offseason full of rumors and speculation. He goes to Houston to play alongside John Wall and a handful of other players who play a fun brand of hoops.

It is unknown when LeVert will be available for the Pacers given COVID-19 rules and implications, but the Pacers should be excited to get him in the building. He scored 43 points in a game earlier this week in a loss to the Grizzlies.

LeVert was originally drafted by the Pacers in 2016 but his draft rights were included in the trade that brought Thaddeus Young to Indiana.