The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers completed a blockbuster trade last March when they exchange James Harden and Ben Simmons right before the 2022 trade deadline hit, making a lot of noise around the league with this move.
Harden is trying to help Joel Embiid win an NBA championship, which Ben couldn’t during his six years in Philly. However, these two players have different realities, but also different futures. The Beard has been criticized for decreasing his level after being traded to Philadelphia despite having an electrifying start to his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love.
Simmons could just make his debut this season tomorrow when the Nets will try to avoid getting swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the postseason. It doesn’t look like he’ll help the Nets turn the series around and win against a strong Celtics team, but Simmons could be the answer to their problems next season.
Having Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant as the top players hasn’t worked so far for the Brooklynites, but adding Simmons to the mix could change everything for them. Many people have criticized Harden’s level recently, including Stephen A. Smith, who doesn’t think Harden can be as dangerous as he was in Houston.
The ESPN analyst isn’t the only one that thinks that way. Former Rockets star Tracy McGrady thinks that Brooklyn won this swap since Harden is starting to slow down. During a recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast, the legendary shooting guard explained why he thinks the Nets came out victorious with this move.
Agree? pic.twitter.com/x7dW3alBys
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) April 23, 2022
“I think that’s a bad trade. I think Brooklyn won that trade. I think Joel (Embiid) was in such a grove, and that team was in such a grove. Yea, James Harden is a dynamic scorer and a playmaker, no doubt about that, but it seems like to me he is slowing down. He can’t really get by his defender no more. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know if he’s hurting, but he doesn’t look the same to me. I just thought they had such great chemistry before the trade to where Joel finally got in great shape to where he could finish up games and take over games, he’s surrounded by a guy like Seth Curry, who can shoot. I think the missing element out of that team was Tobias Harris. Like, if you’re gonna get paid a hundred and something million dollars, you gotta elevate the game. Why we gotta go and get a guy like James Harden when we’re paying $100 million. You’re a max player, fill that role for us.”
Harden has been a shell of himself since that incredible start to his tenure in Philly. Things have changed now and the Sixers are looking great in the postseason thanks to Joel Embiid, not him. The team looks incredibly good, but they will need the former MVP to step up his game against more dangerous teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, or Boston Celtics.
As for Simmons, he’s still young and this summer could help him return to his best level to help the Nets next season if Durant and Irving remain with them.
