"They got a chance to win the championship this year" - Magic Johnson gives his long-awaited verdict on the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade
NBA superstars Ben Simmons and James Harden were the subjects of a blockbuster trade on trade deadline day as the duo swapped teams.
Appearing on ESPN's NBA Countdown, Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson gave his two cents on the trade that took place and spoke about how Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers got a legitimate shot at winning the championship this season. Magic said:
"Both teams won this trade. Brooklyn needed more defense so Simmons will provide that. Also, I'm very happy with Harden, what he's doing in Philly, they got a chance to win the championship this year."
The trade was potentially in the works for quite some time as the 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morrey was fixated on bringing Harden to Philly and pairing him up with Joel Embiid, while the Brooklyn Nets wanted more than fair compensation for Harden and ended up receiving Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond.
Who won this James Harden-Ben Simmons trade?
The objective of this trade for both teams is to win the championship. They believe that this move will put them in the driver's seat to win a ring in June and anything less than that will be considered a failure. With that said, this really is one of the rare occasions where both teams have won this trade.
Ben Simmons will not play in Thursday’s Nets-76ers – but is expected to make the return trip to Philadelphia and join team on bench inside Wells Fargo Center, sources say. More: https://t.co/3orGREnaX8
Ben Simmons was arguably the best defender in the league when last scene. That is massive for a team like the Brooklyn Nets, who are currently ranked 23rd in the league in terms of defensive ratings. He is also a ball handler and can run the offense for the Nets which will allow the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to focus on one thing and one thing only which is putting the ball in the net.
The 76ers also got what they desperately wanted and that was a guard who could orchestrate the offense but also be a capable shooter. James Harden and Embiid can run the pick and roll which would be lethal for the opposing teams. He is also an excellent orchestrator of the offense and would bring the likes of Tyrese Maxey and others into the game.
James Harden has already clinched averaging 25 points and 10 assists in his first 3 games with the 76ers, something he also did with the Nets.
The last player to average 25 points and 10 assists in his first 3 games with a franchise was Allen Iverson in 2006 with the Nuggets. https://t.co/5riRhHEzvw
However, there is something to be said about the fact that Harden, Embiid and Ben Simmons have question marks regarding their health. James Harden has had hamstring issues plaguing him over the last two years while Embiid and Simmons are injury prone players.
Either way, we could be in for an incredible showdown between James Harden and Ben Simmons in the Eastern Conference Finals later this year with so many subplots circulating in the background.