The months-long Ben Simmons saga concluded today when Sixers general manager Daryl Morey dealt the disgruntled All-Star point guard for former MVP James Harden. As the trade deadline approached, reports revealed that both Simmons and Harden were searching for a change of scenery. The move reunites Sixers general manager Daryl Morey with his former star in Houston and adds one of the league’s premier defensive specialists to a talented Brooklyn squad that has underperformed this season.
Full Trade Terms:
Sixers receive: guard James Harden, forward Paul Millsap
Nets receive: guard Ben Simmons, guard Seth Curry, center Andre Drummond, Sixers unprotected 2022 first-round pick, Sixers 2027 first-round pick protected 1-8
Analysis:
This swap of All-Stars is a rare win-win deal for a pair of Eastern Conference contenders. Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets view this trade as moving them closer to championship contention, in both the short and long term.
From the Nets perspective, dealing Harden extends their championship window, since recent reports from around the NBA indicated that he intended to opt out and test free agency this offseason. Adding Simmons, who is under contract for four more seasons, forms a stable core of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons going forward — a big three capable of title contention. The Nets also pick up two first-round picks for additional trades and add sharpshooter Seth Curry and serviceable backup center Andre Drummond.
For the Sixers, adding Harden moves the team from mid-tier playoff squad to immediate championship contender. Pairing the former MVP with one of the league’s current MVP frontrunners in Joel Embiid creates a formidable duo capable of competing with the NBA’s best. Through 54 games, the Sixers sit just 2.5 games back from the 1-seed in the Eastern Conference despite receiving zero production from Ben Simmons all year.
Harden also picked up his $47.3 million player option for next season after being dealt to the Sixers, guaranteeing that the Embiid-Harden duo will get a minimum of two shots at a title.
ShotQuality Analysis: Sixers Acquisitions
James Harden’s raw statistics have taken a dip this season: his 22.5 points per game this year are his lowest mark since the 2011-12 season, when Harden was still coming off the bench as Oklahoma City’s sixth man. However, a slight dip in volume hasn’t impacted ShotQuality’s evaluation of his efficiency: put simply, Harden is still an offensive superstar.
Harden’s combination of elite scoring and passing is almost unparalleled. He’s averaging 1.33 ShotQuality points per possession on 288 off-dribble threes, which ranks in the 99th percentile. Harden’s other shooting numbers are equally impressive, representative of a well-rounded variety of go-to scoring moves.
Harden also ranks in the 100th percentile for passing, the 99th percentile for spacing, the 97th percentile for three-point efficiency, and the 87th percentile for rim efficiency, per ShotQuality. While his free-throw rate has dropped off a bit from his high-usage Houston days, Harden’s free-throw rate of 40.2 still places him in the NBA’s 92nd percentile. He also doesn’t need the ball to be productive, a skill that’s improved playing alongside two other All-Stars in Brooklyn: Harden’s also in the 88th percentile in off-ball scoring.
The Sixers also picked up veteran forward Paul Millsap. The veteran hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 27, and averaged just 11.3 minutes per game in his 24 appearances this season. The former Hawk could offer some floor spacing — his 1.15 SQ PPP on catch-and-shoot threes ranks in the 72nd percentile — but it’s more likely than not that he barely sees the floor for the Sixers and isn’t a part of their playoff rotation. Expect prospects Paul Reed and Charles Bassey to take over Andre Drummond’s minutes instead.
ShotQuality Analysis: Nets Acquisitions
The centerpiece of this deal for the Brooklyn Nets is undoubtedly elite defender and playmaker Ben Simmons. Since Simmons hasn’t taken the court this season, his ShotQuality data from 2020-21 will be used here; while it might take the first-team All-Defense member some time to reacclimate to the NBA, he remains an elite contributor.
Offensively, Simmons’s positives and his limitations are very clear. He’s a very capable passer, especially in transition, when he can grab a rebound and push the ball before the defense gets set. It’s no coincidence that the Sixers ranked seventh in the NBA in transition shot frequency last season, and have fallen to 28th this year in Simmons’s absence.
Simmons’s athleticism also allows him to be a capable finisher around the basket when set up by his teammates. However, his limitations as a shooter are well-known, and he’s not particularly efficient at creating his own offense in any way.
These limitations place a cap on how much Simmons can contribute offensively; it’s hard to be a plus player when you rank in the 14th percentile for spacing and 5th percentile in free throw percentage.
The Nets are betting that playing alongside elite scorers like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving allows Simmons to transition into a Draymond-Green-esque role, facilitating on offense and focusing his energy on the defensive end of the floor. Defense is where Simmons is at his best: he ranks in the 97th percentile for steals and the 78th percentile for blocks, and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team last season.
Brooklyn also picked up three-point specialist Seth Curry. The Duke product is averaging a career high 15.0 points per game this year, though that will probably decline once his offensive role decreases in Brooklyn. At just 6’1”, Curry can struggle to get his jump shot off at times, but when he does shoot, it tends to go in: his 1.52 SQ PPP on catch-and-shoot threes and 1.46 SQ PPP on off-dribble threes both rank in the 100th percentile.
Sixers backup center Andre Drummond was also attached to the deal, giving the Nets a big man with size to complement hybrid forward-center Nicolas Claxton. Drummond is a poor finisher around the basket — his 1.16 SQ PPP on 133 shots at the rim falls in the 36th percentile, underwhelming for a 6’10” big man — but is still capable of protecting the rim in a drop-coverage scheme and cleaning the glass.