Last week, a wild rumor came out of the NBA. This rumor proclaimed that the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers were interested in a Ben Simmons for James Harden trade. This would have been a very interesting deal, especially since it feels like both players want out of their respective cities. Of course, Harden’s distaste for the Nets is unknown at this point, although Simmons’ hatred for the Sixers is very obvious right now.
This is one of those deals that could theoretically work, however, not everyone is totally on board with it. One such person who is a critic of the idea is none other than Stephen A. Smith of First Take, who spoke about the trade on today’s show.
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Smith noted that teams like Brooklyn and Golden State are already loaded and that putting Simmons on those teams would ensure that they win a title. With that being said, Smith thinks this would be a huge mistake for the Sixers, who would effectively be arming one of their potential championship rivals.
“I think if Daryl Morey traded Ben Simmons to Brooklyn it would be one of the stupidest things he’s done in his career,” Smith explained.
It is definitely an interesting take, however, if you are the Sixers, this is a deal you have to pull the trigger on. There aren’t many teams interested in giving up superstars for Simmons, and Harden would be their closest shot at a good to decent trade.