The Aftermath: Part 2: James Harden/Ben Simmons

      Welcome to The Aftermath, a new series where we look back on old trades and see how they affected teams involved, years later. For Part 2, we will take a look into the Sixers and Nets Simmons/Harden trade, made back in February of 2022. 

      The Trade

PHI Receives: James Harden, Paul Milsap

BKN Receives: Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, 2 1st round picks

       The Reason

      Ben Simmons, after a major hiccup in Game 7 of the second round, was ready to get out of Philly. Tension grew all offseason and as the season started, he was nowhere to be found. Simmons planned to sit out of the Sixers' games until he was traded. 

     As for Harden, his and the teams big three dreams with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant began to fall apart. KD was constantly injured, and Irving was barely on the court due to creative differences with the league's vaccination policy.

     Once this news became public, everyone saw Philly as a perfect option. Sure enough, at the 2021-22 trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers made a trade that would completely change not just the Eastern Conference, but the NBA as a whole. 

                     The Outcome

     76ers fans were understandably excited. They had a brand new star that they could pair with MVP level Center Joel Embiid. Harden was a skilled passer who could fit a ball into just about any window. Not only that, but unlike Simmons, he could shoot. Ben Simmons's biggest weakness was Harden's biggest strength, putting a positive light on this trade for Philly fans from the very beginning. And while he may not have been the best defender, he always made the effort, and easily made up for it on the offensive side. Although the Sixers once again dropped out of the Playoffs in the second round, they went into the next season with a newfound sense of hope, as the organization looked forward to a full season with their two All Stars. 

     When he got to Brooklyn, Ben Simmons picked up right where he left off. Sitting courtside watching the games due to injury. He sat out of the rest of the regular season, and the entirety of the team's 4 game abbreviated playoff run. Still, the supporting pieces they received played solid, well enough to not sound the alarms yet, especially considering the two future first round picks they received, and fans were eager to see Simmons in action the next season. 

     The first full season of the James Harden in Philly started off strong. He had put a lot of focus into his physical well being and overall defense in the offseason, and it showed. He was a much improved defender, scoring roughly the same points per game, and leading the league in assists. The one problem, however, was that he would sometimes be afraid to shoot. For someone widely known as one of the best shooters in the game, this is a big issue. That sort of floated around him all season, but late in game 1 and a must win game 4 in the second round, he showed a glimpse of his old self, knocking down big shots while leading his team to victory. Still, those wins were not enough. They exited after a blowout game 7 loss, and throughout the offseason, there was growing tension between Harden and GM Daryl Morey. 

      For Simmons, he was never able to get his old play back. His first real season in Brooklyn was once again plagued with injuries and the so called "role players" in this trade had a much bigger "role" on the team. At the trade deadline, the Nets shipped away the other two members of their once big 3, KD and Kyrie, and seemingly went into rebuild mode. They ended up with the 6 seed, and played the Sixers in round 1, where they would proceed to lose 4-1 to Philly without Simmons. Going into the next season, the only hope for Brooklyn was rising star Mikal Bridges. 

       The before mentioned tension between Morey and Harden grew to a point where it was impossible to repair the relationship. And while for a period of time it looked like Harden would stay in Philly, he was sent to the Clippers for a bundle of picks and role players early in the season, officially ending the short lived era in Philly. 

       In his third year in Brooklyn, Simmons was able to play a commanding 15 games, shooting 40% from the free throw line in those games, and averaging just under 7 points. He would then undergo season ending surgery, once again cutting his year short. He appeared to have lost all of the special talents that had once made him a sought after prospect, and was unable to even stay off the court. Nets fans were ready to say goodbye to the man they had traded James Harden for.