The Brooklyn Nets did not do much during the trade deadline as they decided to keep the team as is with players like Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton leading the way. One of the few changes that Brooklyn made this season was buying out Ben Simmons, a player that the franchise took a chance on during the 2021-22 season while Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden were in town.
Simmons, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers after coming to a buyout agreement with the Nets, officially ends an era that began with Durant and Irving pulling off one of the most exciting moves in NBA history by signing with Brooklyn as a duo. Trading for Simmons was probably not Nets general manager Sean Marks' first choice, but something had to be done after Harden did what he did against the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 2, 2022.
Based on where Brooklyn was headed after Durant and Irving signed with the franchise as free-agents heading into the 2019-20 season, Nets fans were understandably excited about their team finally rising to the level of title contenders for the first time since the early 2000s. However, two seasons after Durant and Irving came to Brooklyn is when things began to fall apart after Harden wanted out.
Harden, who referred to the Nets as a "dysfunctional" organization during his 1.5 seasons with the team, decided that he wanted out despite the fact that he, Durant, and Irving did not play that much together during that time span. That led to the Nets having to make a choice between honoring Harden's trade request or doing what some had suggested they do by making Harden stay with the team and work things out that way.
Ultimately, Brooklyn did what most teams do, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler is the latest example that comes to mind, by giving in to the superstar's demands. On Feb 10, 2022, the Nets traded Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, a 2023 first-round draft pick that turned in Brice Sensabaugh and a 2027 first-round draft pick that could look enticing given how much Philadelphia is struggling this season with injuries.
While Harden was a disgruntled player who had earned the reputation as a guy who leaned towards wanting out of situations as opposed to working through them, he did lead the 76ers, along with superstar center Joel Embiid, to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals in both of his seasons in Philadelphia. Simmons, on the other hand, did not play during the 2021-22 season due to a mix of not wanting to play for Philadelphia after what happened in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks and a herniated disk in his back.
While Simmons played just 90 games for the Nets over the course of 3.5 seasons, he had an uphill battle dealing with the kind of injuries that he sustained as he had to have back surgery, get his left knee drained, and have a microscopic partial discectomy (another back surgery) before it was all said and done. Despite the fact that Simmons did not play well by the standards that he set during his time in Philadelphia as a three-time All-Star, he did have moments where he showed that the talent was still there.
In the ongoing debate over whether the Nets won the Harden-Simmons trade, it's important to note that the 76ers continued winning with Harden for the two seasons that he remained with the team. More to the point, Philadelphia was also able to trade Harden for a package including Marcus Morris Sr., Nic Batum, KJ Martin, Robert Covington, two first-round picks, and three second-round picks in a three-team deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Simmons was never able to get back to the player that he was with the 76ers, except for in spurts, and ultimately, his value amounted to that of a buyout candidate when his time with the Nets ended. Ironically, Simmons and Harden will be playing together with the Clippers after so many years of being connected through this trade and yet, neither team they were traded to won a title.
Simmons' time in Brooklyn will always be a tale of what could have been if things had worked out for the Nets, but given that Simmons was contemplating retirement during his time with the organization, it's safe to say that he gave it his best effort to be what was expected of him. However, if a Harden-level situation arose again, Brooklyn made the kind of decision that can backfire either way. Now, they are left to figure out a way forward to possibly get back to that point again and hope for a better result.
If anyone wants a summary of the Simmons-Harden trade from someone who has been in the New York media to witness everything that has happened since then, YES Network's Frank Isola had an succinct description: