The Nets and Philadelphia 76ers have completed a blockbuster deal that ends James Harden’s tenure in Brooklyn and sends Ben Simmons to Kings County.
The Sixers also send Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to the Nets alongside Simmons, in exchange for Harden and Paul Millsap,
It ends a weeks-long saga around speculation that Harden had grown increasingly unhappy in Brooklyn and caps a somewhat disappointing end to the “Big 3” era for the Nets.
The picks included in the deal are the Sixers 2022 first-round pick unprotected and a 2027 first-round selection that is protected 1-to-8, according to Wojnarowski. The Nets will be able to defer the 2022 pick to 2023.
The deal came with less than two hours to go before the NBA’s 3 p.m. trade deadline as word began to break that Simmon’s camp was optimistic that something was going to happen.
Simmons did briefly return but never played and eventually told the team he was not mentally ready to step on the court.