After a long tug-of-war, the Nets finally sent Harden away at the trade deadline! According to Woj, the Nets sent Harden and Millsap to Simmons, Seth Curry, Drummond, an unprotected 2022 first-round pick, and a protected 2027 first-round pick.
The deal was reported as soon as it was reported, but in fact it was laid as early as last year's offseason. Harden turned down a three-year, $161 million early contract extension given by the Nets last offseason, indirectly indicating his intentions. At this stage of his career, money is not the first thing he considered, come to the Nets for the championship dream, if the Nets show the momentum of the championship, then Harden will jump out of the contract this summer and become a free agent.
Apparently, today's Nets have drifted away from the championship, suffering 9 consecutive losses before the trade deadline, and the team's record has fallen all the way to 8th in the East, with no signs of rebound!
The eldest brother Durant's return date is undecided, because the knee injury has been missed for 13 consecutive games, and he has 2 championships, he can indulge Irving's willfulness for the sake of brotherhood. Irving is like a time bomb, even if the team suffered 9 consecutive defeats, his refusal to vaccinate is still firm, can only play away games, he also has a championship, he no longer regards basketball as the most important thing. The bitterest of the Big Three is Harden, whose desire for the championship is far greater than that of Irving and Durant, playing the most games, carrying the heaviest pot, and is a personal mood.
Although Harden did not explicitly propose a trade request, he gave enough hints that he wanted to leave the team, he was fed up with Irving's crazy work (last season's constant leave, this season did not vaccinate), the Nets management captured this, they realized that this season may be Harden's last season with the Nets, after all, Harden has the player option for the 2022-23 season, in order to stop the loss in time, to avoid this summer's money and money, sending Harden away before the trade deadline became the only option.
Back to the deal itself, although the Nets were the one forced to trade, they got back the chips they wanted!
The Nets can now be discharged: Durant + Irving + Simmons + Seth Curry + Ader's starting lineup, still dreamy, still favorite to win the championship. Simmons' organizational ability can make up for Harden's gap, and he can switch from no. 1 to no. 5, maximizing the nets' defense, as a trade addition to Seth Curry, who has averaged 15 points per game this season, can improve the net's poor offensive space, he is the perfect candidate for partner Simmons; Drummond can improve the Nets' frequent rebounding explosion problem.
As for Philadelphia, their framework this season has not been hurt by this blockbuster deal, because Simmons has not played a game this season, and to some extent Philadelphia has exchanged Curry Jr. + Drummond + 2 first-round picks for Harden. Harden + Maxi + Sable + Tobias Harris + Embiid's starting five tigers are both offensive and defensive, enough to break the wrist with any team.
Harden's arrival has made the team's backcourt complete a qualitative leap, he and Embiid one outside and one inside, can be called a "bankrupt version of the OK combination", their blocking combination will become the league's nightmare. Embiid now doesn't have to pull outside the three-point line frequently, he can spend more time in the paint and destroy the opponent's defenses, and Harden will also get a lot of empty three-point opportunities.
So, there are no losers in this deal so far, both teams look better, and they are still the favorite teams to win the championship. Harden arrived at his ideal destination, Simmons left the unpleasant 76ers, and his psychological problems healed overnight. Looking forward to the two teams meeting in the playoffs!