Ben Simmons, just like the rest of the NBA, lived very tense moments earlier this week when the James Harden trade was being discussed. Plenty of teams reportedly called the Houston Rockets to inquire about Harden, including the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Sixers reportedly believed the trade was almost done before the Brooklyn Nets took the lead and eventually Harden. One of the players offered to the Rockets was Ben Simmons, who wasn’t in love with the idea of being traded to Houston. Simmons was even informed that he was going to H-Town before the Nets completed the 4-team blockbuster deal with Houston, Indiana and Cleveland.
After his first game following the Harden trade, Simmons addressed the media, talking about all those trade rumors. The Australian player fairly explained this is a business and it’s normal to see things like that happening. However, he’s happy that he’s staying with his team.
“This is a business,” Simmons said on Thursday night, according to The Athletic’s Sixers reporter Derek Bodner. “Things like that happen. The only thing I can control is how I approach my workouts, the games, and my day to day things. I’m just trying to be professional and do the right thing and help my team get wins.
“I’m blessed. I get to play the game I love at the highest level in the world. There’s far worse things going on in the world. If you tell me I’ll never play the game again, that would be a different story.”
The Sixers are not the 3rd best team in the league after a very moved offseason. The team is trying to finally compete for a title this season and Simmons is a very important piece in their plans. They didn’t get Harden but they still have their two stars, Simmons and Joel Embiid, and now the Sixers will see if that is enough to compete in the East that has the three-headed monster Brooklyn Nets.
