Stephen A. Smith is one of the biggest hot take artists in all of television right now, and whenever he delivers an opinion, you can be sure fans will be polarized by it. Yesterday, Smith was given a prime opportunity to shine as the Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and a couple of first-round picks. It was a deal that fans had to see to believe, and in the end, both teams got exactly what they wanted.
While on the air with ESPN, Smith ripped into 76ers general manager Daryl Morey, claiming that this was a horrific deal. Smith doesn’t believe in Harden as a superstar anymore, and he believes that Simmons’ presence on the Nets will ultimately ensure that the Nets win a title this year. With that being said, Smith thinks this is a low point for the veteran NBA executive.
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“I want to say, for the record, this could potentially, not definitively, but this could potentially go down as the worst day in the career of Daryl Morey,” Smith said. “You gave up a shooter in Seth Curry. I hear that he can’t guard and hurt a guy 27 on him in the playoffs stop it. The bottom line is he’s one of the premier shooters in the game.”
If you’re Daryl Morey, this is a trade that needed to get done. Simmons has been dead weight, and with Joel Embiid having an MVP-caliber season, he needed a player who could help get this team through the playoffs.
Let us know who you think won the trade, in the comments down below.