James Harden-Ben Simmons trade looks like a dud

Upon hearing the news of any trade, the first response is to think about which team won the trade first. In the NBA court of public opinion, that division usually goes to the side that obtains the more protruding name or superstar player.

With Ben Simmons (and others) being traded for James Harden, it depends on which talking head you cared to listen to.

Now, nearly three months after the trade, it’s easy to see who came out better in this deal. This is a sporadic trade where nobody won. It’s quite simple.

Based on what the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets assumed they were getting in this trade, they’re both losers. Simmons never touched the court for Brooklyn and now needs back surgery after an “attempted” return one week earlier.

The Nets also got Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in the trade with Simmons, but they weren’t enough to help to get them past the Boston Celtics.

Maybe they’ll find a pair of gems with the first-round draft picks they developed from the Sixers, but that doesn’t help them now. This team was built to win now.

So far, the Kyrie Irving – Kevin Durant Brooklyn Nets have been displeasure. And taking on Simmons halfway through the season has only exaggerated that fact.

But at least the Sixers can say Harden is on the court backing. Currently, Harden’s contributing to a 2-0 series shortfall against the Miami Heat, but he is out there bumbling up and down the court.

There’s no way this is what Daryl Morey thought he was getting when he held off on trading Simmons so he could bring in his buddy Harden. At this point, we might as well call him “the artist formerly known as.