PHILADELPHIA — The Ben Simmons Saga is finally over.
On Thursday, the 76ers parted ways with the disgruntled All-Star who refused to play in exchange for the player that Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey was in part hired to deliver to Philadelphia.
The team acquired perennial All-NBA guard James Harden and Paul Millsap from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. The team agreed to the deal before Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline. The Nets will get the Sixers' unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a protected 2027 first-rounder.
Brooklyn has the right to defer the 2022 pick until 2023. The 2027 pick is protected 1-8. If that’s not conveyed, it becomes a 2028 first-rounder protected 1-8. And if it’s not conveyed, it becomes a 2028 second-rounder and $2 million.
The Sixers (32-22) were able to keep third-year swingman Matisse Thybulle, who the Nets (29-25) coveted in the deal. According to sources, the Sixers refused to put Thybulle in the deal. That was the hold up, as all the other issues were agreed upon.
But by trading Curry, coach Doc Rivers parted ways with his son-in-law. Curry’s wife Callie, is Rivers’ daughter. The couple has a daughter. Rivers used to joke the reason why the Sixers acquired Curry from the Dallas Mavericks on the night of the 2020 draft so he can spend time with his grandchild.
Rivers canceled Thursday morning’s practice, knowing his players’ minds were on the upcoming deadline.
This move ended a five-month standstill after Simmons told team co-managing partner Josh Harris, president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, general manager Elton Brand, and Rivers that he no longer wanted to remain a Sixer and refused to report to training camp.
Simmons did eventually show up to two practices but didn’t engage with teammates and was kicked out of the second after he refused to participate in a drill. The point guard was fined for missing all 54 games and other discretions.
Of the eight lottery acquisitions the Sixers obtained during "The Process," Joel Embiid is now the only one left on the roster.
But this departure enables Sixers ownership to get the man they coveted, and according to sources, was part of the reason why Morey was named team president on Nov. 2, 2020.
Co-owner Michael Rubin wanted to bring Harden to the Sixers to form a dominant duo with Embiid. Morey has a great relationship with Harden from their days with the Houston Rockets. He was the team’s analytics-driven general manager and Harden was their three-time scoring champion.
Morey attempted to reunite with Harden last season, offering Simmons and Thybulle as part of a trade package. However, the Rockets eventually traded him to the Brooklyn Nets, where the 2018 MVP was part of a Big Three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
But Harden and his camp have maintained a close relationship with Morey. In addition, Rubin stayed tight with Harden and his friends. The groups still interact. And the Sixers hired former Houston Rockets CEO Tad Brown as their new CEO for Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, which oversees the Sixers. Brown and Harden have a great relationship.
So this seemed the perfect pairing, especially when there was grumbling that Harden was unhappy in Brooklyn.
He can opt into his $47.4 million contract for next season and sign a four-year, $223 million extension at the start of free agency.
Harden, the 2018 MVP with Houston, seems like the perfect fit for Embiid. He can get a bucket, finish isolation plays, take opponents off the dribble, and drain step-back 3-pointers.
However, he’s averaging 22.5 points and shooting a career-low 33.2% on 3-pointers this season. This is his lowest scoring average since averaging 16.8 points per game as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2011-12 season. The 32-year-old, who is a 10-time All-Star, had a four-point performance in a Feb. 2 road loss to the Sacramento Kings and has been sidelined the last three games with hamstring tightness. Some have questioned the severity of the hamstring injury, noting that Harden wanted out of Brooklyn.
A league source thinks a change of scenery will enable him to go back to being the player who averaged 29.6 points and shot 36.2% on 3-pointers during his nine seasons in Houston.
But one can argue the Nets won the trade.
In Curry, they got a sharpshooter to replace Joe Harris, who’s been sidelined since November because of an ankle surgery.
Brooklyn gained a multifaceted player in Simmons, who would be able to handle the ball and allow Kyrie Irving to thrive as shooting guard. Simmons can also guard all five positions and blend in well with Irving and Kevin Durant.
A three-time All-Star, Simmons also became fully vaccinated during the season. That’s important because an unvaccinated status would make him non-compliant with local rules in New York and hinder his ability to work in the city. As a result, he would only be permitted to play in road games outside of the city like the unvaccinated Irving.
Simmons, however, would need some time to find a rhythm because he has held out the entire season after demanding to be traded. But with Durant, Irving and Curry providing a lot of the scoring, his lack of perimeter shots won’t come under scrutiny.
While the Sixers got Harden in return, this trade could be another indictment of The Process. It produced eight lottery-pick acquisitions from the 2013 through 2018 drafts.
The Sixers traded away Nerlens Noel (sixth, 2013) Michael Carter-Williams (11th, 2013), Dario Šarić (12th, 2014), Jahlil Okafor (third, 2015), Markelle Fultz (first, 2017), and Mikal Bridges (10th, 2018) for very little or nothing in return.
Bridges was a Sixer for 38 minutes before being shipped to the Suns in exchange for Zhaire Smith and a 2021 first-round pick. Smith was a bad fit for the Sixers, who never gave him a real opportunity to showcase his skills.
He became injured and ill and played in only 13 games before being traded to the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 23, 2021.
Now Simmons, who has regressed as a shooter, is on his way out after being selected first overall in 2016.
He missed what would have been his first season after fracturing his right foot. The next season, Simmons garnered rookie of the year honors while being snubbed for the 2018 All-Star Game.
However, he went on to earn the first of three consecutive All-Star honors in 2019. In his third playing season, Simmons led the league in steals per game (2.1). The 25-year-old, however, had a knack for struggling in the postseason.
And this past postseason was the worst of his three.
Simmons shot just 25 for 73 (34.2%) from the foul line, marking the worst postseason free-throw shooting in NBA history. He also took only three shots in 56 fourth-quarter minutes during the seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Atlanta Hawks. None of the fourth-quarter shot attempts came in the final four games.
Simmons finished with five points, 13 assists, and eight rebounds in the 103-96 Game 7 loss to the Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. He attempted just four shots, making two. Simmons played timid, like someone fearful of having to go to the foul line.
That became apparent with 3:29 remaining and the Sixers trailing, 88-86. He drove to the basket past Danilo Gallinari, but he passed up an open dunk underneath the basket, dishing the ball to Thybulle, who was fouled by John Collins. Thybulle made 1 of 2 free throws.
