On February 10th, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets made a blockbuster trade hours before the trade deadline. The 76ers traded 3 time All-Star Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, 2 time All-Star Andre Drummond, and 2 first round draft picks to the Nets. The Nets traded away 10 time All-Star James Harden and 4 time All-Star Paul Millsap. This trade has been in conversation for a while now but the teams have just now decided to go through with it. This was easily the biggest trade before the deadline.

This trade could be key to the Nets’ Finals fun. With Kevin Durant out with an injury right now and Kyrie only playing half of the games the Nets need some more depth on the roster. With Simmons not playing all season it might take a couple games to get into his all star form again. But Curry put up 23 points in his debut with the team proving he is a great fit for the team. 

The picks involved with the trade could also be beneficial to the future of the Nets organization. One of the picks is a 1st rounder in next year’s draft and another one is a top 8 protected pick in the 2027 draft. The Nets were Finals front runners before this trade and continued to be Finals frontrunners after it.

This trade could be beneficial to the 76ers push to make the Finals as well. The 76ers currently stand as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference. But after trading away a player that was sitting out and two role players on the team this could help out their playoff campaign. With the addition of James Harden to the team this could help out the current MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid. Embiid is averaging 30 points and 11 rebounds a game but with the addition of one of the games best shooting guards this could take the pressure off of Embiid to put up 25 shots a night. Millsap does not contribute much on the court because of his age but he does add some veteran experience to the team. The 76ers were the 6th favorite to win the Finals before the trade but they jumped to 4th after the trade