The Philadelphia 76ers officially announced they had acquired James Harden in a trade on Thursday night. He’ll wear No. 1 since the franchise retired Wilt Chamberlain’s famed No. 13 jersey in 1991.
Harden, a seven-time All-NBA selection, came over from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. The Sixers also received four-time All-Star Paul Millsap in the deal. The trade was finalized about 90 minutes prior to the 3 p.m. deadline, according to multiple reports. He’ll have his first chance to suit up on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center when the Sixers host the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“James Harden is one of the truly elite players in the league. His career has been defined by incredible personal achievement, including honors as NBA MVP and three-time NBA scoring champion,” Philadelphia 76ers Managing Partner Josh Harris said. “We’re thrilled to pair him with Joel Embiid and this dynamic roster in our pursuit of an NBA title. I am proud to welcome James and Paul Millsap – a proven veteran and former All Star – to the 76ers, and can’t wait for what the future holds for the city and our fans.”
The latest Sixers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Sixers newsletter here!
Kevin Durant Drafts Embiid, Refuses to Take Harden
The NBA held a live draft to select this year’s All-Star teams on Thursday night as LeBron James and Kevin Durant took turns filling out their rosters. James started things off by selecting Giannis Antetokounmpo with the first overall pick, then Durant went for the kill shot by selecting Joel Embiid at No. 2.
with his first overall pick, @KDTrey5 selects @JoelEmbiid!
No drama there, right? Wrong. Sixers Twitter seized the opportunity and joked that Durant was angling to come to Philly. Embiid was unknowingly leading a Brooklyn-based rebellion, one with championship goals. It wasn’t true but it made for great social media fodder for fans and media members. Especially when a petty Durant went out of his way not to pick Harden. The newest Sixers star went dead last to Team LeBron.
Kevin Durant just selected Joel Embiid with his first pick in the All-Star draft, lmao
Lmao! Kevin Durant picked Rudy Gobert over James Harden. That makes Harden the last pick of the All-Star draft and he will be selected by Team LeBron. #Sixers
Kevin Durant with his first pick (2nd overall):
“I’m going to take the #1 scorer in the league, Joel Embiid.”
It’s all love and respect between these two competitors 👊
LeBron picked Giannis first and Durant picked Embiid with the second pick in the All-Star draft.
Simmons Ready to Make Season Debut in Miami?
Simmons has refused to take the court this season, citing mental health issues and a desire to be traded. He sat out all 54 games after Doc Rivers kicked the three-time All-Star out of practice back in October. Now Simmons is Brooklyn’s problem and early reports indicate he may make his season debut as soon as Saturday.
Ben Simmons will join Brooklyn Nets on their road trip tomorrow in Miami.
The Nets play the Miami Heat at 8 p.m. on Saturday in South Beach. That would match Simmons up against Jimmy Butler, another former Sixers teammate he couldn’t play nice with in the sandbox. Embiid had lobbied for the Sixers to keep Butler over Simmons. He called it a mistake.
Seeing tweets that Ben Simmons will join the Nets on their road trip in Miami tomorrow. He claimed mental illness was his reason for not playing, yet miraculously has been cured the minute he’s traded. What a middle finger to those who actually battle with mental health.
Whether Simmons actually suits up for Brooklyn remains to be seen. If he does, it would seem to indicate he was faking a mental health illness the whole time and serve as an obnoxious kick in the face to those who really suffer from the disease. Ben Simmons, class act.
Comments
Sixers Make Trade Official: Kevin Durant Picks Joel Embiid, Disses James Harden