Brooklyn Nets swap James Harden for Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons in blockbuster NBA deal on trade deadline day

The Philadelphia 76ers have acquired superstar guard James Harden in a blockbuster trade sending their disgruntled point guard Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.

The full deal includes the 76ers shipping off Seth Curry and Andre Drummond along with two protected first-round draft picks.

How the trade affects the Philadelphia 76ers

Philly had been linked to James Harden even prior to his arrival to Brooklyn last season, when he requested a trade from the Houston Rockets.

The former MVP named Philadelphia as a preferred destination due to his familiarity with their president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who previously ran the Rockets front office for 14 years and acquired Harden back in 2012.

Initially, the Sixers organisation were reluctant to split-up their young duo in Simmons and Joel Embiid but following a play-off flameout Simmons made it clear he planned to sit out this season until he was moved.

Tensions reached their peak for both sides recently as his hold-out reached over $19million (£14m) in fines for missing games and team trainings.

How the trade affects the Brooklyn Nets

On the Nets’ side, Harden expressed his frustrations with the squad’s inconsistent play and lack of continuity, with Kevin Durant out (sprained MCL) and Kyrie Irving relegated to part-time play due to his vaccination status.

Brooklyn held the top position in the Eastern Conference at Christmas and have now fallen to the eighth seed, in the midst of a 10-game losing streak.

The former Defensive Player of the Year finalist will provide the Nets with much needed defensive versatility, while making up for the playmaking lost in Harden’s departure.

The acquisition of Curry will expand their shooting depth, with Drummond strengthening their interior play.

The superstar Harden-Embiid pairing instantly elevates Philly to contender status in the highly-competitive Eastern Conference, where they currently sit at fifth place with a 32-22 record only three games back from the first seed.

The Atlantic Division rivals will next face-off on March 10 at the Wells Fargo Center.

By Josh Musoke