Did the Philadelphia 76ers get burned by flirting with James Harden?
Last week, James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a huge blockbuster deal that saw multiple players and picks change hands. Interestingly enough, a few days after the dust of the trade had settled, a huge revelation was leaked involving the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to a report, the Sixers believed that they had a deal with the Rockets for James Harden (before he was ultimately sent to Brooklyn) and even had informed Ben Simmons (among others involved in the proposed deal) that a trade was on the horizon.
Assuming that this report is accurate, this is the type of situation that could wreak havoc in a locker room.
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Even though these players are professional athletes, you can’t help but be human at times. To have to suit up and continue to play for a team that was ready to trade you just a week before could play serious games on your mind.
Especially considering when your head coach and the front office has said that you’re an integral part of this franchise and a cornerstone to a championship build. The Sixers played with fire as they pursued a trade for Harden and we will find out if they indeed got burned.
For a team that is trying to build a championship contender, a fractured locker room, and a hurt core player is not exactly the step that you want at this stage. If that is indeed the case for Ben Simmons, the Sixers could be set up for more disappointment heading into the meat of the season.
Looking at Simmons from an objective perspective, the James Harden proposed trade aside, there is a reason for concern through the first 12 games of the season. Simmons is on pace to have somewhat of a down year for Philadelphia. This is not exactly something you’d expect from a star player heading into his fifth season.
Through the first 12 games of the season, Simmons is averaging just 12 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field – both are career lows for the young star. Specifically, over his last four games played, Simmons is only averaging 9.3 points on 41 percent shooting from the field.
I’m not sure if that timeline (the last four games, stemming from January 7) coincides with the events from this report taking place, but something seems off with Simmons and the Sixers right now. Overall as a team, they’ve lost four of their last six games and there are growing questions emerging amid missing out on Harden.
Time will tell whether the Philadelphia 76ers played with fire and got burned. But the early indications aren’t promising.