According to multiple sources, the 76ers have acquired former MVP James Harden in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The 76ers will also acquire former all-star Paul Millsap in the trade. The Sixers will send Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and 2 first round picks to Brooklyn in return for the former MVP.
The deal reunited 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and Harden who spent time together in Houston together. Rumors of this trade have heated up in the past couple days, after Harden requested a trade out of Brooklyn and sat out the last game for the Nets. The 76ers have been trying to make a trade work for Harden since last year when Harden was being traded out of Houston.
This moves pairs MVP front-runner Joel Embiid with another superstar as the 76ers look to win their first NBA Championship in over 40 years. The deal looked like it was not going to get done as the Nets asking price was to include Tyrese Maxey or Matisse Thybulle, but the Sixers were able to complete the trade without including their two youngest stars.
James Harden's tenure in Brooklyn ended just as horrible as we hoped. The big 3 of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Harden played 16 games together and went 13-3 in those games. Due to injuries and Kyrie being ineligible to play, the big 3 were only able to play 16 games together. A disappointing 2nd round exit last year in the playoffs ended a season with very high expectations. The relationship between Durant and Harden seemed to be over as Durant has been liking tweets that says Harden wanted out of Brooklyn.
The move ends a horrible relationship for the 76ers as well. The Ben Simmons era in Philly has finally ended. After years of backing this guy, Simmons requested a trade out of Philly and refused to play until he was traded. Sixer fans grew very frustrated after last year's playoffs when Simmons failed to hit a majority of his free-throws and gave up a wide open lay-up in game 7 against Atlanta. The relationship ended poorly.
No one can say we never supported that man.
The 76ers also give up Andre Drummond who was the back-up to Embiid. This is a huge loss as we will now look to rely more on Embiid. The loss of Seth Curry also hurts the 76ers outside shooting. Danny Green can be inconsistent from 3. In order for the 76ers to continue to compete, they will need to booster their role players. Harden is a fantastic outside shooter, but they will need to fill the void when he goes to the bench. The buyout market is still a valuable option. The 76ers will need to get some bench help if they want any chance to make a long run in the playoffs.
Ending the Ben Simmons era in Philly is huge. We have backed this man up for so long, and he turned his back on this team and the city. The expectations for him were so high and he was never able to come close to accomplishing those. He cared more about winning individual awards then winning a team championship. I wish him the best, but I am very happy to relationship is over.
This is a homerun trade for the 76ers. The obvious thing is we got a superstar in James Harden. We have a prime Joel Embiid, and now we can get the most out of his elite career. Harden has announced he will opt-into his deal next year, so we will have another season of Harden. There is rumors he will sign a long-term deal with Philly. The other big part of this trade was the 76ers kept Maxey and Thybulle. Maxey has filled the void of Simmons this season and has done an amazing job. He runs the point with so much confidence and the offense moves incredible. Thybulle has already turned into a top defender in this league. By keeping these two, the 76ers have kept both their young stars, will surround their MVP caliber center
The 76ers needed to get a star to pair with Joel Embiid. Yes we gave up role players, but stars are rare. We will be able to replace Curry and Drummond this season or in the off-season. Getting a MVP caliber player in Harden is completely worth it and we kept our youth players.
Thank you Seth for a great year and a half. I always joked he was the better Curry brother, and I will never regret that. Drummond, your time was short but it was an absolute pleasure. Simmons....thanks for the bricks.