Assessing the James Harden-Ben Simmons Trade

In about a day, James Harden, a Brooklyn Net, was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and two future first round picks. The 76ers received James Harden and Paul Millsap. Near the finalization of the deal, reports came out that Harden had been pushing for a trade to the 76ers but he wouldn't announce it publicly in order to avoid public backlash. Looking back at the trade, the Brooklyn Nets were clear winners. They got ben Simmons who can compliment Kyrie and Durant well, if he passes and shoots less, Andre Drumming, a great big man, Seth Curry, an elite shooter, and two future first round picks, useful for building the team around Kyrie and Durant. James Harden is clearly not as good as he was five years ago and it will be tough for the Sixers to get better with the addition of Harden. He will take shots away from Embiid and Tobias Harris. The Sixers also lost a great backup center to Embiid and an elite three point shooter in Seth Curry. The Nets will definitely get better this season-whether it is immediate is difficult to determine. The Nets also have security for the future with the two first round picks and can hopefully utilize the last few years of Kevin Durant's prime and win a championship. The Brooklyn Nets were the winners of this blockbuster trade.

James Harden is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons will be going to the Brooklyn Nets and will hopefully take the court for the first time in close to 6 months