Nets trade Harden to 76ers for Simmons

Study this in The Manila Times digital edition.

PHILADELPHIA: Ben Simmons obtained his wish, a alternate out of Philadelphia. The 76ers obtained their 2nd celeb, with James Harden coming over in a blockbuster multiplayer alternate with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Sixers despatched Simmons, the disgruntled star who demanded a alternate closing summer, guard Seth Curry and center Andre Drummond to the Nets in a deal for Harden. The Sixers additionally will accumulate Paul Millsap and the Nets accumulate draft picks, in step with of us with bellow records of the choice.

The deal turned into once confirmed Thursday (Friday in Manila) by the of us that spoke to The Linked Press on condition of anonymity since the alternate had not been presented.

The drag came upright 5 days after coach Steve Nash acknowledged the Nets wouldn’t alternate Harden and perfect 13 months after they obtained the 2018 NBA MVP to play with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

But Harden may bear left this summer as a free agent and the Nets determined it wasn’t rate the risk to reduction, ending their Mountainous Three experiment after the trio done perfect 16 video games collectively.

The Sixers can’t wait to take a look at power the James Harden-Joel Embiid partnership.

Simmons did not play this season for the Sixers within the wake of a alternate ask centered largely around damage emotions coming off closing season’s playoff loss. Simmons averaged 15.9 choices, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists over four seasons with Philadelphia, which drafted him out of LSU, the assign he done perfect one season.

His defining moment as a Sixer came when he handed up a large-delivery dunk against Atlanta within the 2nd spherical of closing year’s playoffs that would bear tied the game gradual in Game 7.

The tip of Simmons’ time in Philly came down to this: He turned into once stung by comments made by coach Doc Rivers and Embiid within the aftermath of the Game 7 loss and the intention in which he shouldered the blame for the Sixers’ playoff woes.

His refusal to shoot previous 15 feet — he’s a 5 of 34 profession 3-point shooter — and his postseason failures on the free-throw line bear seemingly outweighed his playmaking skill and a assign closing season on the All-Defensive first team.

Simmons made a shock return to the Sixers almost at the moment sooner than the season opened, but turned into once promptly kicked off form and suspended for one sport. The punishment did not topic, the No. 1 settle on of the 2016 draft had no draw of ever playing. He later cited psychological properly being issues.

Harden turned into once space to miss his fourth straight sport Thursday with a hamstring damage whereas alternate rumors intensified.

The Nets obtained the three-time scoring champion from the Houston Rockets in a deal closing January, with the premise that Harden, Durant and Irving may be too potent to quit. The Nets loaded up for a title lag with three of the most effective-paid gamers within the league but a championship lag with them never materialized.

Harden and Irving had been both damage closing year within the playoffs, and the Nets lost within the 2nd spherical to eventual champion Milwaukee. With Irving not becoming a member of the Nets unless December and Durant injured in January, the Nets obtained perfect two video games out of their Mountainous Three this season.

They are 2-10 since Durant sprained his left knee, an damage that would aid him out unless after the All-Superstar shatter. With Irving ineligible to play in home video games because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19 as mandated by Unique York City, it placed a heavy burden on Harden. Harden can change proper into a free agent after the season, even supposing he may settle on up his $47.3 million participant option.

The 76ers are getting an MVP-safe year out of Embiid, and team President Daryl Morey — who turned into once within the entrance plight of labor with Houston when Harden done for the Rockets — made the time limit deal to be obvious the Sixers bear plenty for the championship push. The Sixers had 20-1 preseason odds to defend end the NBA championship but those fell to about 7-1, in step with FanDuel Sportsbook.

Embiid leads the league in scoring with 29.4 choices and has scored not not up to 25 choices in 30 straight video games. The stress turned into once on in Philly not to raze a season of his prime.

Morey made the alternate whereas defending on to Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, two younger core gamers the Sixers imagine can relieve snag them the tip assign within the East. The Sixers had been 1 1/2 video games out of first plight within the Japanese Convention entering Thursday’s motion.

Sixers fans may are trying to delivery up saving their cash for the March 10 sport against the Nets. Tickets on the secondary market had been soliciting for properly above $1,000 for decrease-bowl tickets and practically $200 for standing-room tickets at Wells Fargo Heart.

No longer up to two hours after the alternate, a billboard went up along I-95 welcoming Harden to Philadelphia. The billboard featured a silhouette of Harden’s face that read “The Beard is Right here!”

ESPN first reported the deal.

Curry — Rivers’ son-in-regulations — gives the Nets delivery air shooting they bear got overlooked with Joe Harris out following ankle surgery. Drummond may delivery up or play a key feature off the bench for a team that has largely done puny.

The new delivery up for the deal’s colossal stars additionally entails novel uniform numbers. Harden’s 13 is retired in Philadelphia for Wilt Chamberlain, and Simmons’ No. 25 turned into once retired by the Nets for Bill Melchionni.