Golden State Warriors reaction to James Harden blockbuster trade

James Harden has been traded – and the Golden State Warriors should be looking at this deal with optimism for the future.

Well, after weeks and weeks of controversy, James Harden successfully forced his way out of Houston by being traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team blockbuster deal. The Golden State Warriors and the rest of the league are looking at this exchange and figuring out how it will impact them.

For the Dubs, this trade potentially puts an additional roadblock in their path to another championship. Not only will they have the fear of running into a MEGA trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Harden – but they also might see a new contender in Houston with a core group of Victor Oladipo, John Wall and Christian Wood.

The Rockets definitely lost this trade, as any team giving up a perennial superstar would, but they did manage to add an exceptional two-way talent that can fit with the current roster and propel them into the playoffs. They won’t be favorites to win the chip, but facing a team with that much firepower wouldn’t be fun.

The same goes for Brooklyn, only their firepower is tenfold. Forget about chemistry issues and sharing the ball between three dominant scorers – when you get a chance to stack the deck like this, you take it and figure out the details later.

It’s clear the Warriors will have some new foes to battle against once they get their full roster back. However, the sheer amount of assets involved in this trade should inspire the Dubs to test the market themselves.

We’ve been talking extensively about hypothetical trades the Warriors could make. If the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to steal Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince for scraps – shouldn’t the Dubs be able to make a similar move at some point?

Expendable assets like Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney and Kelly Oubre Jr. could all become bait at the deadline. We aren’t saying the Dubs should jump on any deal they can find – but this recent trade should have them looking to swing for the fences. Players like Bradley Beal, Myles Turner and P.J. Tucker should now be on the Warriors’ radar.