A few hours before the closing of the winter transfer market, the NBA: Dallas Mavericks winning streak ends abruptly”>Brooklyn Nets, candidates for the NBA title, have transferred star James Harden to the Philadelphia Sixers, one of the other competitors in the Eastern Conference. In exchange, the New York club recovers Australian leader Ben Simmons, reported this Thursday ESPN and The Athletic, generally very well informed.
This is the second time in two years that Harden (32), one of the most talented and complete strikers of his generation, has changed clubs. The MVP of the 2018 season, who has spent almost his entire career with the Houston Rockets, arrived in Brooklyn last season. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, he formed a “big 3” only intermittently (16 games in total) during the second part of the previous exercise. Injuries and the Covid got involved, especially for Irving, still banned from playing in New York because he was not vaccinated.
The Nets, 8th in the standings after nine defeats in a row, therefore recover Ben Simmons, who joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016. At 25, the Melbourne native finished second in the title of best defender of the year 2021, behind Rudy Gobert. He has not yet played this season, after a showdown with his leaders resulting from his unfulfilled departure desires so far.
With him also land two very useful players, point guard Seth Curry and pivot Andre Drummond, as well as two future first round draft picks. As for Harden, nicknamed “The Beard”, he is not coming alone, since veteran winger Paul Millsap is also on the trip.
