On a very active NBA trade deadline day, the Nets and 76ers made the biggest deal of all as James Harden was sent to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons and a package of players and draft picks. According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the Nets emerged as the “clear winner” in the trade, and the Sixers may rue the day they agreed to the deal.
Smith went as far as to say that Thursday’s trade could be the worst decision Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey ever makes professionally.
“This could potentially – not definitively – this could potentially go down as the worst day in the career of Daryl Morey.”
Smith went on to argue that Harden is a risky acquisition for the Sixers given his recent history, while the Nets are bringing in multiple valuable pieces in Simmons, Curry and Drummond.
“Is he going to lose weight? Is he going to get younger? Is the hamstring injury suddenly going to disappear? …. As great as we know [Harden] is, he hasn’t been himself, meaning the guy that Daryl Morey was overseeing in Houston. And because he hasn’t been that guy, I’m wondering how long can he be that guy – because I have no doubt he can do it. How long can be that guy in Philadelphia? Because with KD, Kyrie and Ben Simmons, and an extra body on your frontline in Brooklyn, I see Brooklyn as the clear winner in this deal.”
“This could potentially go down as the worst day in the career of Daryl Morey.”
—@stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/Sh4RwiezdR
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 10, 2022
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