Report: NBA executives laughed at Nets for going all in with James Harden trade during ‘asterisk’ season

The Brooklyn Nets made a gigantic trade to acquire disgruntled star James Harden from the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.

Following the news, some executives and agents reportedly found the Nets’ enormous package for Harden laughable considering the circumstances of the unpredictable 2020-21 NBA season.

“I heard a lot of chortling from team executives and agents about the Nets going all-in for a season with no fans and constant virus-related roster disruption: Are we really going to care who wins the title this year? Won’t there be an asterisk?,” Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported.

The NBA has been forced to postpone multiple games due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. As a matter of fact, the league reportedly considered pausing the season for up to two weeks to quell outbreaks.

Nonetheless, the Nets moved on their opportunity to obtain Harden. They had to give up rising stars Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen among others in the deal.

Furthermore, the Rockets acquired the Nets’ three unprotected first-round draft picks in the deal, in 2022, 2024 and 2026, in addition to pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027.

The Nets clearly feel confident Harden was worth the massive offering. The 31-year-old has career averages of 25.2 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 boards per game.

The 2018 MVP has led the league in scoring three different times.