James Harden has recently been traded for Ben Simmons. It was clear from previous reports that James Harden was looking for a change and the Brooklyn Nets have granted that.
While James Harden was probably happy that he got traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, it seems as though some others were happy to see him go. Joe Vardon of The Athletic has recently revealed that Kyrie Irving was “eager to see” the James Harden trade “come to fruition” when he heard that “Harden was in fact hoping to get traded”.
Irving was ready for Harden to move on, too. When Irving heard Harden was in fact hoping to be traded, a well-placed source says he was eager to see it come to fruition.
Sometimes, star partnerships simply don’t work out. It seems as though this is one of those cases. Hopefully, both Kyrie Irving and James Harden feel better about the new situations surrounding them.
There is no question that the Ben Simmons-centered package that the Brooklyn Nets received in exchange for James Harden was solid. The Nets got not only a 3-time All-Star in Ben Simmons, but they also got quality role players in Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, as well as some first-round picks. There’s no question that this greatly improves the Nets’ depth, while the draft picks will be useful assets for the future. Kyrie Irving will be playing with another elite-tier playmaker in Ben Simmons.
Meanwhile, James Harden will be joining up with Joel Embiid in Philadelphia. That is a solid situation for him, and he could be the co-star for Embiid that the 76ers need. James Harden and Joel Embiid are definitely one of the better duos in the Eastern Conference.
It remains to be seen how this trade shakes out. Both teams are obviously trying to win immediately, and on paper, this would help both teams. It is too early to judge the move, but we’ll know more at the end of this season.
