Harden went to the 76ers, Simmons joined the Nets, and each side threw off an unhappy star. Realistically, both teams have been given new opportunities to make more changes.
The game process between the two sides is not simple, and the players involved in the transaction are huge. The 76ers' treasure role players, Sable and Maxi, were among the trade options, but did not make the move. Judging from the news before and after, Harden's strong willingness to leave the team has affected the Nets' choice to a certain extent, and when the deadline is getting closer, they must give up some options to reach a consensus.
The deal is destined to be put under the microscope for a long time, and the media, experts and fans are talking about the topic: Who lost?
Nets: Harden's compatibility issues have never been solved
Before the deal, the Nets had two main problems: inadequate outside shooting ability and lack of basket and rebound protection.
After Harden joined, he is a model of "labor model" among the three giants, basically making up for where it is missing. The Nets' role players were not organized, and Harden mainly passed; guarding the basket was unfavorable, and Harden ran to defend the No. 4 and No. 5 positions opposite.
But for the Nets, Harden is a big patch. Although it can solve the problem temporarily, the goal of competing for the championship is by no means a long-term solution.
Harden's problems come under the triple blow of injuries, playing style and the atmosphere of the locker room.
Extremely slowly through the half, Harden's unique personal characteristics were seen in the Nets as "making the team's offense unfriendly." In the past, in Houston, Harden was the big boss, and the proportion of ball rights was historically high. The Rockets' helpers are shooting players, and the ball power can only be effective if most of the ball is controlled by Harden.
But when it comes to Brooklyn, the problem is just the opposite: there are a bunch of talented scorers here, and at the healthy Nets, their ball is not distributed enough, not ally.
In this case, Harden is usually not the only core of the game, and coupled with the impact of hamstring injuries, the original magic ball prince, the combination of basket scoring and three-point long-range shooting, can now only throw the ball continuously on the outside. Once the team is caught in a losing streak or emotional trap, Harden's style of play is easily criticized.
In the days of the Rockets, Harden's style of play is too much of a possession, although in Brooklyn, Harden tried to change, but 1 and a half seasons passed, proving that Harden and Durant, Irving's playing style is indeed incompatible, the big three or two giants are present, it is difficult to inspire full boarding.
Nets: Under the current conditions, what is missing is what is missing
The Nets lost a superstar in a time-critical situation, and the players they replaced could only try their best to fill the current shortcomings.
On the one hand, Harden is too dominant. On the other hand, Harden's unhappiness made the Nets more worried that he would run as a free agent in the offseason, leaving the Nets' basket empty. Trading on the spot was a strategic success for the Nets.
Harden's defense is not outstanding among the stars. But Simmons has a very strong single defense ability, when still willing to play, the single defense ability can be described as a rare iron gate in the league, younger than Harden, although the shooting is very anxious, but it is not without further development potential. In terms of organizational skills, although it is affected by shooting problems, it is also at the top.
At the same time, the Nets also fought for as many resources as possible: Seth Curry added to the Three-Point Firepower the Nets wanted and had a wealth of playoff experience. Although Drummond is not so strong, but the Nets, which lack the backbone of the basket, such an addition is also a reinforcement for them.
For the Nets, since the trade with Harden has become a foregone conclusion. Their response is still worthy of praise.
In the case of tight time, the nets' overall strength did not appear to dive too much. The only regret is that there are no more opportunities to win the defensive champion Sable that was originally wanted, or Maxi, who is growing rapidly.
Now, the Nets have temporarily consolidated the locker room problems with a major personnel change. But Irving's problem of only playing on the road has not been properly resolved, and their lineup ceiling may be lower than during the Big Three era.