Frustrated NBA All-Star James Harden has been traded from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, where he will be reunited with old teammates Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The Nets acquired the three-time scoring champion from the Houston Rockets in a deal that became official on Thursday, a move Harden has sought for weeks.

"Adding an All-NBA player such as James to our roster better positions our team to compete against the league's best," Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a team statement on Thursday.

"James is one of the most prolific scorers and playmakers in our game, and we are thrilled to bring his special talents to Brooklyn."

The move came after Harden, the NBA's MVP in 2018, said the Rockets were "just not good enough" this season as they sit second-bottom in the Western Conference with a 3-6 record.

The 31-year-old is the centrepiece of a deal that also involved Cleveland and grew to a fourth team when Indiana made a separate deal with Houston.

Nets center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince will move to the Cavaliers while guard Caris LeVert and forward Rodions Kurucs join the Rockets.

US media report the Rockets are also trading LeVert to Indiana for Victor Oladipo.

The Nets, sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 7-6 record, also sent three first round draft picks (2022, 2024 and 2026) and four first round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027) to Houston.

The Nets are loading up for a title run with three of the highest-paid players in the league in Harden, Durant and Irving.

All are under contract through 2022-23, with Harden and Durant both set to earn more than $40 million in each of the next two seasons.

- with AP