The NBA Trade Deadline

The 2022 NBA trade deadline on Monday, February 10, 2022, brought James Harden and Paul Millsap to the 76ers. Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond are heading to the Brooklyn Nets. The recent trade has some fans ecstatic about Harden becoming a Sixer and joining key players Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey but has also received some mixed feelings from fellow Philadelphia sports followers. James Harden, who is currently 32, is well known across the basketball world for his scoring abilities, assists, defensive steals, and playmaking. He is a consistent MVP candidate-worthy player, averaging 22.5 points, eight rebounds, and 10.8 assists per game. Other accolades earned by Harden include 10 NBA All-Star game appearances, 2017-18 NBA MVP, and nine All-League awards out of 13 seasons played so far.

Some Philadelphia 76ers fans are hyped up for Harden and Millsap joining the red, white, and blue crew. Mark Yilanjian, a Pennridge High School graduate and a current sophomore in college said, “The trade is probably the best thing that could’ve happened to them this year”. James Harden is joining Joel Embiid on the court and Mark believes their talent will be instrumental on the offensive side for the Sixers. “I think Harden and Embiid will be really good together,” he said. Fellow Sixers fan and junior at PHS Matthew Campione agrees, saying “I think Harden will draw some of the attention off Embiid, opening up more looks for Embiid and other players. Both of their play styles will go well together.” With many excited 76ers fans, part of the Philly sports fan base is displeased with the trade, believing that the Sixers got “cheated” and gave up valuable assets like Seth Curry, therefore deeming the trade as “unfair”. Other fans, like Campione, think it was a fair trade. “The Nets got a first-round draft pick along with Simmons and two solid other players, and the Sixers got a great player,” said Matt. Curry was a frequent sharpshooter for the Sixers, especially at the three-point line. With Curry no longer a part of the franchise, players like Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris along with James Harden may need to step up to fill that gap.

It did not seem to be too much of an issue though, with Harden’s first two games as a Sixer are now under his belt. In his debut on Friday, February 25 versus the Timberwolves, James had 27 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds to help his new team to a win. After the game, Harden stated, “We’ve got guys, from top to bottom…my job is to come in and add to each individual on this team”. Joel Embiid also sank 34 points that evening. Mark Yilanjian said, “They [Harden and Embiid] already proved it in their first game tonight, their two-man game is going to be really good.” Two days later, versus the New York Knicks, Philadelphia walked away with a 125-109 win. Again, with Embiid and Harden leading the team in scoring. The duo combined for 66 points that Sunday afternoon. NBA stud James Harden’s first two games as a Philadelphia 76er, where he put up 56 points, is just the beginning of his time in the City of Brotherly Love. Not only do his past achievements in the league speak for themselves, but the potential that his play brings to the Sixers franchise will be potent to other teams and keep the Sixers a top contender in the Eastern Conference as well as a team to watch in the NBA.

Sources:
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20220227_PHI@NY/
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33260613/brooklyn-nets-trade-james-harden-philadelphia-76ers-ben-simmons-seth-curry-andre-drummond-sources-say
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-is-not-currently-investigating-76ers-for-tampering-in-james-harden-trade-adam-silver-says/
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/ben-simmons-james-harden-trade-grades-sixers-nets/q0daxn3x06pi0r0v19tyomwh
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-nba-player-projections/james-harden/
https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4563/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAKGHKBTyxS8tRdEOi6ueE3UIU7YxyjiqCuSGa9QezD8Rv15Z-hC4N2yM4Zi0TItNGYs3pHKQj2LMX2mQSGUil84hNqhNmRt-vmaTS3iuuizlXJf7zLHddDXpxldPLS9DIPeWtNjMXSEGBvuWkh5uW05rWo4y506zTpsQyEumuI_U
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hardeja01.html
https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/james-harden-1489
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=401360720