Joel Embiid opens up on Ben Simmons' trade: "It's unfortunate that I guess having his own team and being a star was more important"
Joel Embiid is ready to move on from Ben Simmons and his controversies.
Hours before the trade deadline on February 10, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden. The trade puts an end to a tedious and well-documented tussle between Simmons and the Sixers.
Simmons wanted his way out of Philadelphia as he felt the team did not need him anymore. However, the front office was not ready to let go of him as it wasn't able to find any significant deals for the defender.
Embiid spoke about the situation in an interview after the Philadelphia 76ers' win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Here's what he had to say:
"I'm happy I'm not going to be answering any more questions about that subject. You know, it's good not just for me, for my teammates too, the whole organization, the whole year was pretty annoyed with the whole situation. But I'm glad you know, everybody has moved on and wish everybody the best in whatever they want to accomplish, but, you know focus on winning games here and win a championship."
"I'm happy I'm not going to be answering any more questions about that subject...the whole year it was pretty annoying with the whole situation" - Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons being traded away from Philadelphia https://t.co/tzVsqS6RLn
Embiid added:
"It’s unfortunate that I guess having his own team and being a star was more important."
“It’s unfortunate that i guess having his own team and being a star was more important”😯
- Joel Embiid on Ben Simmons
(h/t @KyleNeubeck ) https://t.co/wMKKjXdGr8
Joel Embiid is excited about teaming up with James Harden
James Harden may have upset some Brooklyn Nets fans when he decided to move to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, he will now get the chance to team up with Joel Embiid, who is one of the most dominant centers in the league.
Embiid believes partnering up with Harden will help increase the Sixers' championship chances. Speaking about the former MVP, he said:
"James Harden, you know, one of the best players in the league, MVP, so I don't know, I'm pretty excited. You add someone like that your chances to win a championship are even bigger, so I'm just excited to get on with it and try to figure it out, we have to put it all together as a team and you know go from there."
Philly, we go Hard(en). https://t.co/hfjdxVmlSw
Harden has not had the greatest of seasons so far. His last game for the Nets was a four-point outing against the Sacramento Kings, during which he recorded 2-11 shooting from the field.
However, Embiid is a great match for Harden, who is developing into a fantastic passer. Meanwhile, Harden is exactly the kind of player that Embiid needs to complement his skills. The league is understandably very excited to see the two playing together.