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3 reasons why the Nets won the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade

By Jordanna Clark

Jan 6, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Seth Curry (31) high fives guard Ben Simmons (25) after a three pointer against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 6, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Seth Curry (31) high fives guard Ben Simmons (25) after a three pointer against the Washington Wizards during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brooklyn Nets, James Harden
James Harden, Brooklyn Nets. (Photo by: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports) /

Now that the dust has settled from the 2022 NBA trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets ultimately got what they needed. James Harden and Paul Millsap are now with the Sixers and in return, the Nets upgraded on both ends of the floor with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.

Surprisingly, the deal was announced more than an hour and a half before the 3 p.m. ET deadline. Shams Charania of The Athletic was the one to break the news which was fitting considering that ESPN had contradicting reports floating around over the past few days.

Sean Marks did what he does best and made Brooklyn better. He excelled with the Nets’ picks in the 2021 draft and carried that same energy over to Thursday.

Daryl Morey got what he wanted with Harden but a heartwarming reunion may not be enough to carry Philadelphia further than Brooklyn in the playoffs. The Nets’ main focus is to get healthy and acclimate their three new additions to the roster. Luckily, the All-Star break is around the corner.

We believe that the Harden-Simmons blockbuster trade was a huge win for Brooklyn and here are three reasons why.

3 reasons why the Brooklyn Nets won the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade.

3: Got rid of an unhappy/soon to be free agent Harden

The Nets don’t have to worry about trying to mend their relationship with Harden since he’s now no longer on the team. His final game with Brooklyn took place on Feb. 2 in an embarrassing 112-101 loss to Sacramento. Harden finished with 12 assists, seven rebounds, six turnovers, and four points (2-of-11 from the floor, 0-of-5 from three) in 37 minutes.

Although Harden was too afraid to request a formal trade, his body language and attitude spoke for him. He sat out for his final three games with left hamstring tightness and on Wednesday, the Nets announced that he would be out for their game on Thursday night against the Wizards.

However, as we all know now, Harden became a member of the Sixers less than six hours before Brooklyn tipped off versus Washington. He stayed back in New York so that he could “rehab” his hamstring but instead it seems as if he were anticipating a move.

If Harden would’ve stayed on the Nets’ roster, what would the dynamic be in the locker room? Surely his (former) teammates would’ve been a bit skeptical about how he approached his desire to be in Philadelphia.

More importantly, would he have continued to give off a lack of energy on the court? To be honest, although Harden averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 assists, and eight rebounds with Brooklyn, he struggled all season. There were games where it felt like he had finally made it over that hump but then a couple of nights later he’d be back at square one.

Harden’s a 10-time All-Star for a reason but his game with the Nets didn’t live up to his usual standards.

And even if he would’ve stayed with Brooklyn and had an attitude change, it still seems like he would’ve been detrimental to the team’s title run.

But what’s been overlooked the most in the trade is that Harden is set to become a free agent this summer for the first time in his career. There was the possibility that he could’ve walked away from the Nets without them gaining anything in return. Marks was well-aware of that and capitalized on what could’ve turned into a disaster during the offseason.