The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. What to make of the Nets-Sixers blockbuster and other notable deals? Our writers weigh in.
What are your immediate thoughts on the Nets-Sixers deal?
Howard Beck: Obviously, this isn’t the path the Nets chose—Harden forced this deal—but they’re actually better off for it. Ben Simmons can’t shoot or score at Harden’s level, but he is an elite passer and defender. And the Nets were absolutely desperate for defense. Simmons will fit seamlessly with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, two of the best scorers in the game. He’s also seven years younger than Harden. That the Nets also got more shooting (Seth Curry) and interior muscle (Andre Drummond) and recouped a couple draft picks makes this a home run.
Robin Lundberg: This is a trade that needed to happen. James Harden made it clear without directly saying he wanted out and Daryl Morey has always coveted him. Meanwhile, the Nets needed to recoup on their initial Harden trade before it became a disaster.
Chris Mannix: That Daryl Morey better be right about James Harden. Harden is still a star. But his scoring numbers are his lowest since his Oklahoma City days, his shooting numbers have dipped and his hamstring is (allegedly) bothering him for a second straight year. Philadelphia is preparing to pay Harden $270 million over the next five years—$47 million next season and a four-year, $223 million contract he will undoubtedly get slid in front of him in August—that will take him through his age-38 season. I can't be the only one who thinks some kind of John Collins/Bogdan Bogdanovic/draft picks package might have been better.
Michael Pina: Will the Sixers look back on today as one of the best or worst days in recent franchise history? By adding Harden, they now have a bonafide first-ballot Hall of Fame playmaker next to their monstrous MVP candidate, Joel Embiid. It has the potential to be an unstoppable one-two punch. But assuming they lock into Harden on one of the least team-friendly contracts in NBA history, is the fit good enough to yield a title or will it blow up in their face? How will Harden and Embiid fit for the rest of this season, down Seth Curry’s critical outside shot? What does Harden’s presence mean for Tyrese Maxey’s future now that his strengths are somewhat redundant? Can anyone take Tobias Harris’s contract off their hands this summer? I’m not saying the Sixers shouldn’t have made this trade, but there are real questions and concerns.
Jeremy Woo: Based on where it was 72 hours ago to now, there was clearly some added incentive to get it done, and most of the time, that's player-driven. The whole thing makes a lot of sense, and while the Sixers gain the immediate edge as East favorites, the Nets are better positioned for the future and essentially saved what had become a strangely evaporating season.
