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The national nightmare is over. Ben Simmons is no longer a Philadelphia 76er, according to multiple reports. The three-time All-Star is heading to the Brooklyn Nets.
Sixers president Daryl Morey got the man he has been coveting from the start: James Harden. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Harden was headed to Philly in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry and draft picks. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that those draft picks are two first-rounders, an unprotected one in 2022 with a “right to defer until 2023” and a protected first-rounder in 2027 with other contingencies attached to it.
The Sixers are also receiving Paul Millsap in the deal, per Wojnarowski. Philadelphia was able to keep Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, two young guards who were thought to be borderline untouchable in trade talks. The new starting five will likely feature Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey, and Matisse Thybulle. Danny Green could take Thybulle’s spot once he’s off a minutes’ restriction and his hamstring heals up.
The Simmons’ cloud had been hanging over the Sixers for seven months and reached peak crisis level back in October. It seemed like every player on the roster had been mentioned in some type of trade scenario. Now there is finally closure with a deal orchestrated about 90 minutes ahead of the deadline. Head coach Doc Rivers talked about the joy of finally getting a sense of certainty following the team’s 114-109 loss on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.
“Yeah, absolutely. Especially after this year. Just because of the situation we’re in. I know our guys are NBA players and all that, but they’re human. I can’t imagine the amount of names that have been thrown in,” Rivers told reporters. “So every single guy goes to bed tonight thinking this may be his last night. That’s tough. It really is. So, I think the biggest break we have is we have two days off. The next time we play, we’ll have our team. From a coaching standpoint, I can’t wait for that personally. I’m really looking forward to that.”
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Tobias Harris Not Going Anywhere
In addition to Thybulle and Maxey, the Sixers were able to retain Tobias Harris. The star forward had been rumored to be on the move as the team looked to clear cap space for Harden. They didn’t need to do that and now have three players averaging at least 19.1 points per game in the starting five.
“You are hearing everybody’s name,” Harris said on Tuesday night. “It’s one of those things where trade rumors are always kind of eerie for guys around the NBA but in this situation — I was reading an article today where there were five guys on the Top-10 list of to be moved or whatever — that impacts guys, mental psyche, focus, all the way down the line, so we’ll see what happens.”
Harden Takes $47.3 Million Player Option
According to Shams Charania, Harden will opt into his $47.3 million player option on contract for next season.
Harden originally inked a four-year, $171 million with the Houston Rockets in 2019. There had been talk of him opting out and exploring free agency in 2023. He’s making $44.3 million this season (via Spotrac) and set to earn $47.3 million next year.
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