The biggest trade of the NBA Season happened at the trade deadline when the Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. And with the regular season ending soon, and Ben Simmons is still unavailable, the Sixers will feel like they won the trade. And now a former NBA legend says that Harden should never have been traded away this season.
Jalen Rose was on the Jalen and Jacoby show and he was asked about the whole situation. Steve Nash confirmed that Simmons is out of the regular season, which puts a question on his availability for the rest of the season as well.
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Jalen was asked what he thought about the situation.
Rose says that the Nets should have kept James Harden for at least one season
Rose says, “I believe this should have been the course of action by the Nets, now it’s confirmed. They should have held on to James Harden to allow him to play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant at least one season in the playoffs.”
He was then asked about how Harden was playing near the end of his time in Brooklyn. Rose adds, “James Harden was quitting on the team. However, he knew the trade deadline was coming… Once the trade deadline passes, it’s time to perform.”
He also added that the Nets should have done this move in the offseason as this would give them time to adjust to Simmons. Ben has been dealing with injuries and he is nowhere close to being in basketball shape. He is also undergoing mental health issues and is currently in a lawsuit against the league. And this takes a toll on anyone.
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Rose believes that if the Nets had got Simmons in the offseason, it would have been significantly better. As they could help with his issues and find a fit for him on the team.
The Nets were the number 1 seed before Durant got hurt and then their problems started. They lost a lot of games and Harden forced his hand by requesting a trade. They did get quality stars in return. But they will be disappointed in not getting at least one full season with the three stars.
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We will have to wait and see how this trade works out for both teams, but at the moment, the Sixers seem to be ahead.