As the trade door was about to close, the Nets successfully facilitated a trade with the 76ers, sending Harden and Millsap to Philadelphia in exchange for Simmons, Curry Jr., Chuang Shen and two future first-round picks.
Admittedly, Curry Jr. and Chuang Shen are good championship puzzles, and the first-round pick also brings more possibilities for the team's future, but Simmons is undoubtedly the main body of the deal. So what can he bring to this Nets team by replacing Harden?
1. Better defense
As a tall guard with a height of 208cm, Simmons is most respected by defense, not only was he selected as an All-Star three times, but he was also a member of the league's best defensive first team twice. He has a natural height and strength advantage in the No. 1 position, he can lock up the strongest offensive players in the opponent's lineup, he can also defend multiple positions on the court, Irving has always been not known for defense, but Simmons can check the gaps and help the team improve the overall defensive quality, just like Green's role in the Warriors.
2. A more holistic attack
Although he has not been known for his projection, this does not mean that Simmons is not capable of attacking, and he still has a performance of nearly 16 points per game in his career. Simmons is not a point-cutting maniac, but he is an excellent organizational tandem, so far in his career he can average 7.8 assists per game, 208cm tall gives him excellent passing vision, excellent ball control ability makes him more ideal in terms of error control. Harden's discomfort with this Nets is that he can't make a good trade-off and a division between individual offense and organizational tandem, and it's much simpler for Simmons, who is a purer organizer who will focus on how to deliver cannonballs to players like Irving, Durant, Curry Jr., Harris.
3. A more flexible future
Although Harden was once a MVP-level player, he is about to turn 33 after all, in other words, he can bring a short window to this team, but Simmons is different, he is only 25 years old. This means that as long as he is not injured, the team can remain competitive for quite some time to come. Even if Simmons has some messy moths, the team will have more flexible options when dealing with his contract.