Month: February 2022

Who won the trade between Philly and Brooklyn?
The 2022 NBA trade deadline has officially passed and it certainly was wild. Social media was buzzing on Thursday following reports of stars, including James Harden and Ben Simmons, heading to new cities.
Check out some of the best reactions from players and teams to recap a very busy day in the NBA.
• NBA.com Trade Buzz: Feb. 8 | Feb. 9 | Feb. 10 | Official Trade Tracker
I survived the day this year y’all 😤😂 pic.twitter.com/NAV64tszfp
— RJ (@RjHampton14) February 10, 2022 Wizards acquire Porzingis from Mavs

Since day 1 the fans and the city of Dallas welcomed me with open arms and I will always be grateful for that.To my teammates, coaches, organization and the city THANK YOU! I wish you all continued success 💙 pic.twitter.com/CsRSA53hZ4
— Kristaps Porzingis (@kporzee) February 11, 2022 Nets trade James Harden to Sixers for Ben Simmons

Philly Back! I’m happy for my city
— Marcus Morris (@MookMorris2) February 10, 2022
3/10 😎 pic.twitter.com/8NCGAqtBj9
— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) February 10, 2022
Sheeesh
— Anfernee Simons (@AnferneeSimons) February 10, 2022
Wow!
— Eric Paschall (@epaschall) February 10, 2022 Magic get cash considerations in trade with Celtics

Welcome to the O, Cash Considerations 🪄 pic.twitter.com/rEpr4y0dpQ
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) February 10, 2022 Celtics land Derrick White from Spurs

pic.twitter.com/6HQVdrtoA7
— Dejounte Murray (@DejounteMurray) February 10, 2022 Hornets pick up Wizards’ Montrezl Harrell 

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A post shared by Montrezl Harrell (@trezz_8)

Turn me up Trezz 🦍🦍🦍
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) February 10, 2022
yesssuhh 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 https://t.co/XdIMWQK6Gs
— Melo (@MELOD1P) February 10, 2022
Let get it see y’all tomorrow https://t.co/UOo1hjFGKG
— Montrezl Harrell (@MONSTATREZZ) February 10, 2022 Bagley, DiVincenzo, Ibaka traded in 4-team deal 

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A post shared by Marvin Bagley III (@mb3five)

🩸… bigger than basketball 🙏🏼… @Divincenzo pic.twitter.com/h3oufW4ike
— Pat Connaughton (@pconnaughton) February 11, 2022
The reigning NBA Champions Milwaukee Bucks got better with the addition of Serge Ibaka.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 10, 2022 Pelicans acquire CJ McCollum from Blazers

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A post shared by Anfernee Simons (@antsimons) […]

Nets general manager Sean Marks believes the Nets got a helpful return on the James Harden trade.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets no longer needed to wait for Kevin Durant to get healthy, or for Kyrie Irving to get vaccinated, or for James Harden to make a decision about free agency.
It already seemed clear Brooklyn’s Big Three was never going to be what was hoped.
“If we realize this is not going to work, short-term or long-term, then it’s time to say for both parties involved, this is better off,” general manager Sean Marks said Friday.
Marks made the biggest move of the NBA’s trade deadline day Thursday when he sent Harden to Philadelphia as part of a package for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond. He said talks came together quickly with 76ers counterpart Daryl Morey in recent days.
The trade ended the teaming of Durant, Irving and Harden after they played just 16 games — only two this season. The Nets have dropped 10 straight, with Durant sidelined by a sprained knee ligament and Harden sitting at the end with hamstring tightness.
Perhaps they would have pulled out of their slump when the superstars were healthy, but it became easy to wonder if that would ever happen for a long stretch.
If [James Harden] feels like this was not the right place to win a championship and we felt like we could continue to with our goals of being that last team standing by making a trade, that’s why we made the deal.”
— Nets general manager Sean Marks
“When you look at the whole thing in its entirety, and that’s probably one of the most frustrating things that we’ve had to deal with over the course of the last year since James has been here, is to be quite frank, the Big Three, quote-unquote, haven’t had significant time to play together for a variety of different circumstances,” Marks said. “So, I think the frustration is more in that than in eight or nine games.
“Obviously it was not, and it currently still isn’t, trending in the right direction, but we’re not going to make a decision off of one or two, five games, whatever it may be. The sample size has to be bigger. And at that point, we’re sitting here saying, ‘Yup. We’ve seen enough.’”
Same with Harden, who Marks said was honest in conversations with him and owner Joe Tsai. The All-Star guard could have become a free agent this summer and is still searching for his first NBA title.
Apparently, all sides concluded it wasn’t going to happen in Brooklyn.
In the blockbuster move of the 2022 trade deadline, which team will wind up with the best long-term benefit from it?
“I think it’s just a feeling. It’s a feeling when you know, look, this is not working, whether it’s on the court, off the court, for a variety of different circumstances,” Marks said.
“It’s not like neither side did not want this to work. It was more a sense of, look, this is the right time and it’s the right thing to do is to move on now. James has been upfront from Day One. The clock is ticking for him. He wants to win a championship and we do, too. If he feels like this was not the right place to win a championship and we felt like we could continue to with our goals of being that last team standing by making a trade, that’s why we made the deal.”
Marks wouldn’t get into specifics of his conversations with Harden, including whether frustration with Irving caused his unhappiness. The guard isn’t able to play in home games because he hasn’t been vaccinated against the coronavirus, as mandated for New York’s pro athletes. The Nets originally decided not to play Irving at all until he could play in all their games, but brought him back part-time in December.
“Look, I don’t want to speak for James on that,” Marks said. “That was never explicitly expressed from him. I think the most frustrated person in this whole thing is Kyrie. I mean, Kyrie is frustrated with the fact that he’s not able to be out there.”
Simmons hasn’t played this season after telling the 76ers he wanted to be traded. He was getting his physicals done Friday but Marks didn’t want to predict when the former No. 1 pick would be ready to play.
When he is, perhaps he turns into the final piece that Harden was supposed to be when he arrived in Brooklyn just 13 months ago.
“He’s a hell of a player, without a doubt,” Marks said. “Again, these are not easy decisions. We’re very grateful for what James has done over his short time here, but at the same time adding these three players — Seth, Andre and Ben — help us in needs James doesn’t fulfill.” […]

With the arrival of Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento, Richaun Holmes is looking like a fantasy sell.
It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.
But this Thursday, it’s different because it’s the freakin’ (I’d change that if my editor allowed me to) trade deadline. Nothing in any other sport holds a candle to the excitement around the NBA Trade Deadline (OK, maybe playoff hockey for the “please like my sport” crowd) and the 2022 edition didn’t disappoint.
Tomorrow, I’ll have a full breakdown of every single fantasy winner and loser from the deadline, but as the dust settles, we’ll look at four instant-reaction buy and sell players from the moves made leading up to the deadline.
Buy low, sell high is one of the oldest terms in fantasy, but it’s more involved than that. You have to look at the “low” and “high” of it to make sure you’re maximizing value. We can also buy the player, but question the team and role that they are in when it comes to maintaining the pace that they are on.
Most importantly here, with any call you make, you have to be willing to lose the deal or accept that you made the wrong call. It happens all the time when we think we are selling at the highest value, only for that player to buck the trend and play like a stud going forward.
Now that you have an idea of what to expect for this column week to week, let’s get to the players.
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Buy
Andre Drummond (C – BKN)
In case you missed it, James Harden and Paul Millsap are on their way to Philadelphia, and Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond are heading to Brooklyn. There may not be a bigger fantasy winner than Drummond, who isn’t a good real-life player, but can be an exceptional fantasy player when he gets the minute and starting role. He’ll compete with Nic Claxton, who is good but inconsistent, and LaMarcus Aldridge (lol) for minutes. Grab him and don’t look back.
Daniel Gafford (C – WAS)
The Wizards traded Montrezl Harrell (more on him below) to the Charlotte Hornets, which makes Gafford once again a must-roster and must-start option.
There was a three-headed monster looming in Washington all year, which caused all three player’s values to dip a bit. But with Harrell out of the way, Gafford should see big minutes at center, with Thomas Bryant backing him up.
Even with the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, who should be the focal part of the offense when he is healthy, Gafford is a buy the rest of the way.
Montrezl Harrell (PF/C – CHA)
For the better part of a year, I’ve clamored for the Hornets to please get LaMelo Balla big man. I wanted Evan Mobley. I wanted Myles Turner. We’ll settle for Harrell.
Harrell is a buy going forward, and he should get the majority of the run at center. He’ll at least see a 2/3 split with Mason Plumlee.
Marvin Bagley (PF/C – DET)
Speaking of big men, Detroit went out and got draft bust Bagley from the Kings in a four-team deal.
Bagley has been better of late, posting top 115 numbers over the last month. Now, he heads to Detroit to give Cade Cunningham a fantastic lob partner. He’s trending up, believe it or not. I’d buy in 12-team leagues.
Sell
Spencer Dinwiddie (PG/SG – DAL)
I love Dinwiddie. He’s my third-favorite player in the game. This one hurt me on a personal level. In Dallas, his value takes a hit, as he’ll be stuck behind Jalen Brunson and more than likely Reggie Bullock. Expect Dinwiddie’s minutes and usage to dip, making him tough to roster moving forward.
Richaun Holmes (PF/C – SAC)
I’m absolutely shocked that the Kings didn’t move Holmes. Sure, he’s disappointed this year, but as a team looking to completely remake itself, I expected Holmes to be on the move somewhere, anywhere, where his value would improve.
Instead, he’s a sell in fantasy, as he’s going to be backing up Domantas Sabonis with the second unit. He’ll still have value, but the disappointing season looks like it’s going to continue for the big man.
Derrick White (PG/SG – BOS)
In the “wtf?” move of the day – if you don’t count the Porzingis deal at his diminished value – White’s value took a hit for fantasy, as he heads to Boston. Best-case, he’s starting for the Celtics as the distributing point guard they needed. Worst case, he’s splitting time with Marcus Smart, because Boston can’t seem to move away from him.
He’s still a must-roster player and we need to see how it shakes out, but can’t help to think his value takes a big hit.
Chris Boucher (PF/C – TOR)
They almost had us! There were some fake tweets (I hate and love them at the same time) going out about Boucher being sent to Houston.
If that happened, his arrow would be pointing all the way up. Instead, he’s buried in Toronto still, and to make matters worse, the Raptors acquired Drew Eubanks, who isn’t good but is another big guy to compete with for minutes. Big L, Toronto. […]

Darius Garland misses Friday’s game against the Pacers.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing without All-Star guard Darius Garland on Friday night at Indiana.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff confirmed the decision about 90 minutes before tipoff. Garland is listed on the injury report with a sore back. He averages 19.9 points and 8.1 assists.
Garland’s absence could mean Caris LeVert could get more playing time after being acquired in a trade with the Pacers on Sunday. LeVert scored 42 points in what turned out to be his final home game with Indiana a week ago.
The LeVert trade was the first of three significant moves Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard made before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said he expects all four of the healthy players Indiana added will play — guards Tyrese Haliburton and shooting guard Buddy Hield and forward Jalen Smith and forward-center Tristan Thompson. […]

Joel Embiid discusses the trade that brought James Harden to the 76ers.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid dispatched Ben Simmons off to Brooklyn with one final parting shot.
“It’s unfortunate winning was not the biggest factor,” Embiid said of Simmons, his former Philadelphia 76ers teammate. “It’s unfortunate that for him having his own team and, I guess, being a star was more his priorities.”
That Nets-76ers game on March 10 should be a spicy one.
That is, if Simmons even plays in his professional homecoming. The player he was traded for? Well, Embiid said he talked to James Harden since the trade that landed Philadelphia the 2018 NBA MVP and they are raring to get going.
“It’s James Harden. One of the best players in the league. MVP,” Embiid said Friday night. “It’s pretty exciting. You add someone like that, your chances to win the championship are bigger.”
The Sixers expect Harden’s arrival to be worth what they paid in talent, salary and draft picks — things needed to shoot them toward their first NBA championship since 1983. The question is, when?
Harden did not play in Philadelphia’s win over Oklahoma City on Friday night and won’t play Saturday against Cleveland. His debut is on hold until he’s evaluated this weekend by the team’s medical staff.
The earliest that Harden, who is being paid $44.3 million this season, could play for the 76ers is at home Tuesday against Boston. The Sixers also play Thursday at NBA champion Milwaukee before the All-Star break.
Embiid, who said his wrapped right wrist felt sore following Friday’s win when he scored 25 points, had no love lost for Simmons after his trade ultimatum broke up what had been a successful All-Star pair.
“It’s unfortunate everything happened,” Embiid said. “We didn’t get it done as far as winning in the playoffs. But look at the history of being on the court, what we did in the regular season, we were dominant.”
Sixers coach Doc Rivers was once recruited by Harden to coach the three-time scoring champion when he played for the Houston Rockets. The duo talked three times since Thursday, when the Sixers acquired Harden from Brooklyn for Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond, but none of the conversations involved his potential debut.
Harden has been out with a hamstring injury.
“I want to make sure he’s right before we get him on the floor,” Rivers said.
The Sixers wasted no time decluttering team headquarters in New Jersey — the oversized Simmons magazine cover that hung inside the 76ers’ training complex was gone — and at the Wells Fargo Center, well, goodbye, Curry banners.
The power structure in the East is changed following the Simmons-Harden swap.
Harden’s 76ers jerseys were stitched to order on the concourse for fans who could not wait until he had even played a game. They also plunked down $164.99 for Harden’s No. 1 jerseys in red and in blue that lined racks next to Embiid’s No. 21 inside the team store.
The Harden jersey price is a steal compared to what the Sixers will pay the real deal to wear the uniform this season.
Another new era is set to begin soon with the superstar pairing of one-time MVP Harden with Embiid, this season’s MVP front-runner. Embiid leads the league in scoring at 29.4 points and has scored at least 25 points in 30 straight games.
The pressure was on in Philly not to waste a season of his prime. And the clock is ticking for Harden to win a championship. He has averaged 25.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists in his career with Brooklyn, Houston and Oklahoma City. But none of his 12 seasons ended with a championship.
Rivers plans to quickly catch Harden up to speed.
“He literally just said the practices and the shootarounds now are going to be more intense just because we’ve got a limited amount of time to figure it out,” guard Tyrese Maxey said.
Harden and Simmons were both unhappy with their roles with their old teams. Simmons demanded an offseason trade as the pressure of playing in Philly got to him, and Harden has now forced his way onto a new team for the second straight year.
Harden could have left this summer as a free agent. The Nets decided it wasn’t worth the risk to wait, ending their Big Three experiment of Harden, Durant and Kyrie Irving after the trio played only 16 games together.
And Simmons had few fans left in Philly after he decided to sit out the season. Philadelphia’s local ABC affiliate opened Thursday night’s broadcast with the top story, “The man who refused to make a layup, and then refused to play a season, is now a Brooklyn Net.”
The Simmons saga is over for the Sixers, and Rivers said: “I’m glad it’s behind us.”
Maxey, the second-year player who took over for Simmons at point guard, was close with Simmons but had yet to speak to his former teammate. He’s ready to get going with Harden.
“It’s kind of crazy, just because he’s one of the guys you play as in 2K when you’re a younger kid,” the 21-year-old Maxey said. “One of my best friends that I had throughout high school, he’s like the biggest James Harden fan when we were growing up. So I texted him last night, we talked about it a little bit, and he’s like, it’s crazy.”
Sixers President Daryl Morey made the deal with a championship this season in mind, and now it’s up to Rivers to make it work after he failed to get the top-seeded Sixers out of the second round last year.
“I think the reason we did this deal is so we could jump into the fray,” Rivers said. […]