Ben Simmons' Latest Injury Confirms How Disastrous the James Harden Trade Was
The Nets will once again be without Ben Simmons as the point guard was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a back injury.
When the Brooklyn Nets were forced to move on from James Harden they had a possibility to add key pieces for the future and to regain some of the assets they gave up in the initial trade. The Nets gave up a haul by trading away Jarrett Allen, Caris Lavert, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, three first-round picks, and four first-round pick swaps.
The Nets moved Harden to Philadelphia where they could've added a young asset like Tyrese Maxey who's since blossomed into an All-Star. The team opted instead to receive a package of Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks.
The piece that General Manager Sean Marks opted to roll the dice on for the future was Ben Simmons who was in the midst of a hold out from the team after a disastrous playoffs.
The Nets say Ben Simmons will miss the rest of the season due to his back issues.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) March 7, 2024
The Nets are now attempting to make a push to make it into the play-in tournament however, they'll have to do it without their high-priced point guard who will miss the remainder of the season with a back injury.
This season has been an utter disappointment for Ben Simmons as he's played just 15 games averaging 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. This marks yet another injury for Simmons with the Nets as he'll play just 57 of 190 possible games thus far in his Nets career.
The Ben Simmons contract will continue to hamstring the Nets as they attempt to rebuild through free agency as they don't control their own draft picks. Simmons will be on the books again for the 2024-25 season with a $40.3 Million contract.
James Harden Possibly Set the Nets Back Ten Years
The Nets had the right intentions trading for James Harden gaining a third star to add to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant and it may have paid off if not for Kevin Durant's foot being on the three-point line. The issues around Kyrie Irving's ability to play in 2021 led to Harden's eventual exit despite the team's chances of once again competing for an NBA Championship. Now the Nets are without the rights to their own first-round pick until 2028 hamstringing the team's ability to properly rebuild for the next era.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.