When the Harden/Simmons deal first went down, there was a lot of talk that the Nets won the trade because they got Simmons (a young all star) plus Curry (shooting), Drummond (a serviceable backup center) and draft compensation, whereas Harden had looked a step slow and was seeking a $250 million extension.
Once it was clear that Simmons was injured and Harden began having success with the Sixers, consensus swung wildly in the other direction and the assumption for the last year was that the Sixers won the trade.
But now, following yet another tough second-round exit from the Sixers, Harden is demanding a trade and appears primed to disrupt the team's season until he gets his way. Meanwhile, Simmons is actually looking healthy in limited pre-season action. Assuming Harden gets traded and if Simmons can reprise something of his pre-2021 form, do we go back to thinking the Nets won the trade? Has there ever been another trade in NBA history where opinions kept shifting so drastically from year-to-year?
We just gonna stay with lose-lose and move on.