Who Won The Ben Simmons For James Harden Trade One Year Later
A whole year has passed since the historic deal that brought Ben Simmons to New York and James Harden to Philadelphia between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers. Let's examine how this exchange is shaping out for both parties one year later and determine who appears to have prevailed. First off, it's crucial to understand that the transaction featured more players and selections than a simple one-for-one exchange.
Brooklyn Nets: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, as well as unprotected first-round selections in 2022 and 2027.
Philadelphia 76ers: Paul Milsap and James Harden
Drummond and Milsap are considered washes for the purposes of this debate as they were both role players with expiring contracts and neither remains with the club from where they were acquired. In addition, the Nets traded Royce O'Neal, a forward from the Utah Jazz, for the first-round selection in 2022. Given these facts and the fact that the 2027 selection will be a long time away, the current trade is Harden for Simmons, Curry, and O'Neal.
Harden is still prospering even if he is past his peak
Fans in Philadelphia believed that Harden would revert to his old Houston Rockets form after the trade because he was one of the league's most unstoppable offensive players during that time. Even while that hasn't happened, Harden's performance and chemistry with this team have significantly improved from last season.Harden is averaging a league-best 11.1 assists per game, 6.4 rebounds, and 21.5 points per game. He is now ineligible for this official classification because of the games he has played. Tyrese Halliburton, with 10.2 assists per game, is the player that comes in second-closest to him. O'Neal is doing his part for Brooklyn alongside NBA players Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. O'Neal is only averaging 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while playing roughly 35 minutes each game. The major piece the Nets were hoping to acquire in the deal, Simmons, is averaging a pitiful 7.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.4 assists in little over 27 minutes of action per game. He keeps making disrespectful contributions that are humiliating for a His defensive play, albeit helpful to the Nets, has declined from his DPOY level from a couple of years ago for a player of his stature and talent. That gets us, finally, to Curry. With a 41.8% 3-point shooting percentage, he is in the top fifteen in the league and is a knockdown shooter. That's not too far off from his much more well-known brother Steph's %.
Who received more in the 76ers and Nets' trade?
The 76ers won this deal, in my opinion, even if the Nets gained more assets and we can't fully disregard the 2027 first-round selection.Although Curry and O'Neal are good players, NBA titles are won by all-stars like Harden and Simmons, who were both expected to be such players at the time of this transaction.I've always believed that in the NBA, the winning club is the one who acquires the greatest player from the trade. That has always been the case, and Harden is without a doubt the greatest player in this transaction. Will the 76ers benefit from this trade.I've always believed that in the NBA, the winning club is the one who acquires the greatest player from the trade. That has always been the case, and Harden is without a doubt the greatest player in this transaction. Will the 76ers be able to capture the NBA title thanks to this trade? That is still up in the air. But I can definitely say that the squad is currently in a far better situation than they were a year ago.
