The trade that sent James Harden to the 76ers and Ben Simmons to the Nets happened Feb. 10, but the idea of Harden-to-the-76ers had been rumored well before that.
In fact, it had become widely know that Sixers head of basketball operations Daryl Morey was almost holding off on a Simmons trade until it could net Harden in return.
But foul play — or more specifically, tampering — is not suspected, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.
“I think, in this case, you have two teams that seem satisfied with the outcome of the trade,” Silver said Saturday.
Plus, it’s hard to make a case that this trade didn’t greatly benefit the Nets, at least, when it comes to how it looks on paper.
“Brooklyn ultimately turned a 32-year-old declining Harden into a 25-year-old Ben Simmons along with several other valuable assets,” opined Sam Quinn of CBS Sports. “Even if the Nets wanted to keep Harden, it would be hard to argue with the package they got in return.
“Simmons is exactly the sort of defender they’d lacked. They recouped some of the draft capital they initially spent on Harden, and now look to be a far more balanced team than they were a month ago.”
So yeah, no real reason to be suspicious. It appears that everyone involved got what they wanted, and that it was a win-win for all involved.
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