The Brooklyn Nets made a blockbuster trade at the NBA trade deadline, sending James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two future first-round picks.
Harden, who requested a trade from the Houston Rockets last season and was dealt to the Nets, played in 80 games with Brooklyn. He averaged 23.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 10.5 assists. The one-time MVP reunited with Kevin Durant, who was his teammate on the Oklahoma City Thunder, and many pundits projected the Nets to win multiple championships behind their Big Three of Durant, Harden and Irving.
However, the three superstars only played 16 games together. Harden grew frustrated this season since Irving was a part-time player and Durant hurt his knee, forcing the Beard to carry a huge burden on his shoulders. Ultimately, Harden made it known through back channels that he didn’t want to be a Net anymore and had his eyes on the Sixers, who have Joel Embiid and Daryl Morey.
During the 2022 All-Star Draft on TNT, Durant was asked to talk about the Harden-Simmons trade. The two-time Finals MVP not only spoke about the massive deal, but he also made it clear he didn’t want Harden on his All-Star team.
Durant on Harden-Simmons Trade: ‘I Think Everyone Got What They Wanted’
Durant, who won’t play in this year’s All-Star Game due to a sprained MCL in his left knee, believes “everyone got what they wanted” in the Harden-Simmons trade. The future Hall of Famer sounded excited about adding Simmons, Curry and Drummond to the mix in Brooklyn.
“I’m excited for our team,” Durant said. “Looking forward to finishing the season out with this new group and these new players. Playoffs right around the corner, so we gotta fast-track into getting used to each other, but I’m excited. I think everybody got what they wanted.”
The Nets are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. They have lost 10 games in a row and look like a below-average team without Durant, who was averaging 29.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists before hurting his knee on January 15 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Curry and Drummond could make their Nets debut on February 12 or 14. The former is one of the best shooters in the NBA, while the latter is one of the top rebounders in league history, so the Nets are looking forward to them joining Durant and Irving.
Curry is fifth all-time in 3-point field goal percentage. Meanwhile, Drummond is 11th all-time in rebounds per game.
As for Simmons, it will be a while before he plays for the Nets. He’s still seeing his therapist so he can get mentally ready to play basketball again. The three-time All-Star has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists and is an elite defender and playmaker.
Durant and Harden were friends on the Thunder and Nets. They still may be pals even after the trade, although some fans don’t think so after what Durant did during the All-Star Draft.
Durant Refused to Draft Harden
Durant refused to draft Harden on his All-Star team, picking Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert with his last pick over his ex-teammate.
Harden will be on LeBron James’ All-Star team. The Los Angeles Lakers star laughed and smiled when Durant drafted Gobert over Harden because he knew KD didn’t want anything to do with the lefty.
The Nets and Sixers face off on March 10 in Philadelphia. The game has already been moved to national TV and it will be a hostile environment for Simmons (if he plays).
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Nets’ Kevin Durant Breaks Silence on Blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons Trade