Ben Simmons and James Harden Trade.......Who Won?

 To me it's obvious who won.  But let's look at the details first.  To me, at the absolute forefront is age.  Ben Simmons is a whopping 7 years younger than James Harden.  For a lot of NBA players, 7 years is a career.   The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers have proven the importance of age in the NBA.  The Cavs, with all of their 1st, 2nd and 3rd year players sit at 34-21 (as I write this).  The Lakers, full of superstar 30 something players, are 26-30.  In today's NBA, youth wins.  I'll take a 7 years younger All-Star everyday over an aging, veteran superstar.  


The next issue is fit.  I think this is a win for both teams.  Philadelphia wants to win right now.  They want to maximize Joel Embiid's prime.  If you can keep Harden on the court, he's terrific.  Plus he's a shooter, exactly what the 76ers needed.  Brooklyn, I think, needed some defense.  The Nets have plenty of shooters.  Simmons is a All Defensive First Teamer.  You can't do much better than that.

 

To finish this article, let's go over the issue of contract status.  We know in today's NBA, contract status means very little.  Ben Simmons proved it.  Rather than honor his contract, he simply refused to show up and forced a trade.  In fact, he is signed through 2024-25.  It's just a question of will he honor his contract with The Nets?  In Harden's case, he is signed through 2022-23.   He'll cost 12 million more (approx.) than Ben Simmons in that year.  So, who has the edge?  Well, I believe both players will honor their contracts for their new teams.   Therefore, I think The Nets win.  James Harden can hit the road after next year, Simmons is locked in. 


Looking at these three critical variables, IMO, this trade is a resounding win for The Brooklyn Nets.  There are other pieces involved,  however, I concentrated on Harden and Simmons as they were the key players in this blockbuster trade.   Big win for The Nets, no doubt in my mind.  Does anyone think otherwise???   

With James Harden-Ben Simmons swap, Nets make a move Lakers didn't | Fox News




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