After months of drama and controversy, the saga between Ben Simmons and the 76ers finally came to an end before the trade deadline. In this deal, the 76ers successfully got a superstar like James Harden, but the feud between 76 and Ben Simmons has not yet ended.
Speaking about Ben Simmons' potential "comeback battle," Joel Embiid said:
"It's not just about the whole thing, it's about Brooklyn's history. Obviously, we got James Harden, but the Philadelphia fans are incredible, whether it's boos or cheers, it's going to be crazy. It's a regular season game, but there will definitely be some extra stuff and I'm sure I'll be ready and I'm sure my teammates will be ready as well. ”
A trade with the 76ers and the Nets will definitely affect the season, especially for the 76ers, and getting Harden means they will have better championship prowess.
On the other hand, even if the 76ers successfully push for the transaction involving James Harden, the contract issue with Harden is still a problem that the 76ers have considered clearly. According to ESPN reporter Zach Lowe, Harden could turn down player options in the offseason and let the 76ers free up more pay space:
'It's a conspiracy and he's going to turn down his player option and renew his contract for less money so Philadelphia can let Tobias Harris go, which can free up more pay space.'
This may mean that the 76ers have the possibility of building a Big Three in the future offseason, of course, this is still unknown.
Finally, Nets coach Steve Nash talked about the situation of former 76ers player Ben Simmons, and Nash said that Simmons has not yet come to training, so it is difficult to know exactly when Simmons will return:
'He's still assessing and preparing, I don't know how far they're progressing, and even if he comes back on the pitch, we're going to continue the evaluation process.'
For now, neither Simmons nor Harden have played for their respective teams.