James Harden joined the Brooklyn Nets in January last year. The former Houston Rockets player on the new team was expected to form the big three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. This trio was to lead the New York club to the NBA championship.
However, they failed in this art. Harden, Durant and Irving did not play much against each other due to frequent injuries, and in the end last season ended in a disappointment for them. The Brooklyn Nets advanced to the Eastern Conference semi-finals, where they lost 3-4 to later league champions – the Milwaukee Bucks.
This season, the Brooklyn Nets disappoint even more. With a balance of 29 wins and 25 losses, the team led by Steve Nash is only 8th in the Eastern conference table, which means that their participation in this year’s playoffs is not a foregone conclusion.
Thursday is the last day that NBA clubs can make transfers and exchanges this season. As reported by a well-known ESPN journalist – Adrian Wojnarowski – it was on that day that an agreement was reached on the transfer hit.
Transfer hit in the NBA
After just a year in New York, Harden will move to the Philadelphia 76ers, currently the 5th team of the Eastern Conference. At the new club, the American will meet another major league star mid laner – Joel Embiid – who could be one of the favorites for the regular season MVP award. In Philadelphia 76ers, Harden will also meet the general manager – Daryl Morey – with whom he worked for nearly 10 years during the time he played for the Houston Rockets.
In exchange for Harden, the Brooklyn Nets will get three players – Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond – and two number 1 picks in the 2022 and 2027 drafts. In this transaction, Simmons attracted the most attention. The Australian, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers since 2016, was selected for the league’s star team in the last three seasons.
This season, however, Simmons has not played a single game. All because of what happened at the end of the previous season. The Philadelphia 76ers, as well as the Brooklyn Nets, were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semi-final, losing 3: 4 to the Atlanta Hawks. After the last game, Simmons was criticized by Embiid and the team’s coach – Doc Rivers. In response to criticism, Simmons said he no longer wanted to play in the team and expressed a desire to leave for another club.
The Australian did not play in any game, nor did he take part in pre-season preparations. He was punished regularly by the club for everything, making Simmons the player with the most penalties in NBA history. Unofficial data say that by the end of 2021 alone, the Australian lost over $ 10 million.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
