In the NBA a blockbuster deal has been made: Ben Simmons can finally leave Philadelphia, James Harden is coming from Brooklyn in return.
Just before the trade deadline, the two clubs have agreed on a deal – as announced by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who is as well-informed as ever. Ben Simmons had yet to play a game for the 76ers this season, feeling unable to do so. It is no secret that he wanted to leave Philly and no longer felt comfortable there. So far, however, potential trades have fallen through on the Sixers’ part because the demands were usually too high.
So far, Philadelphia had not been able to find a buyer who could deliver the desired value. That has now changed, because with James Harden, an absolute top star of the league comes to the 76ers. “The Beard” had joined the Nets in January 2021 in order to win the title together with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. That didn’t work out in the first attempt, and now there won’t be a second one. There have been increasing rumours from the player’s camp recently that Harden is unhappy and that with his “player option” in the summer he also has the possibility to move as a “free agent”. With the trade, the Nets at least get a sure return value and don’t risk being empty-handed in the summer.
The trade doesn’t just include those two players, though. In total, the deal looks like this, according to ESPN pundit “Woj”: Harden and Paul Millsap go to the Sixers, and Brooklyn gets Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks in return.
Top numbers from Harden and Simmons
One more set of numbers on the two biggest names in this deal. Harden played for the Houtson Rockets for a long time after his time at Oklahoma (2012 to early 2021) and kept putting up fabulous numbers there. The big shot eluded him there. During his time in the NBA, the 32-year-old has averaged a strong 25 points since 2009. Simmons, who is seven years younger than him, can’t keep up with that, but after an initial injury he has still been convincing in his first four seasons for Philly, averaging 15.9 points and 7.7 assists. In his first year, the 25-year-old also won the title of “Rookie of the Year” in 2018, i.e. the best young player of the season.
