With less than a day to go until the trade deadline, the Nets and Philadelphia trade talks have yet to make some substantial progress, and the biggest reason is that the two sides are divided on the trading chips.
According to Philadelphia reporter Jason Dumas, the Nets asked for Ben Simmons, Cescuri, Sebel, Zhuang Shen, and a future first-round pick in Harden's deal, and such an offer also made Philadelphia management in difficulty. Philadelphia has been trying to pursue Harden, they continue to release smoke bombs through the media, from Harden's personal relationship with management, to Harden's unhappy life in Brooklyn and want to leave, etc., all kinds of rumors have pushed Harden to the cusp, and obviously, this is the Philadelphia management trying to reduce the price of the trick, only to make the Nets management feel anxious, they have the opportunity to bring Harden to Philadelphia with lower chips.
However, the Nets management is not a water fish, they did not choose to sell Harden at a low price because of the rumors, in the negotiations with Philadelphia, they opened a chip that can almost send Harden away without hesitation, although none of these chips can reach harden's level, but the combination of these chips for the Nets, but it is likely to give them a better chance to win the championship.
1 for 5 quotes hollowed out Philadelphia
Philadelphia's performance this season has exceeded their own expectations, after all, in the absence of Ben Simmons, Embiid has played MVP level and led the team to maintain the competitiveness of the championship, and in addition to Embiid's dazzling shine, the important rotation players such as Cescury and Sable are indispensable.
Cescuri is a top scorer who has averaged 15 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4 assists this season, shooting 40 percent from 3 points, and he can help the team attract defensive attention, combining inside and outside embiid, and the power should not be underestimated.
Sable is a promising rising star, especially on the defensive end, showing the potential to be a top wing defender and an important part of Philadelphia's solid defensive system.
Chuang Shen is a strong substitute behind Embiid, who has averaged 6.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game this season, and has rebounded in doubles many times, sharing the pressure on Embiid well.
It can be said that such an offer from the Nets almost hollowed out an important rotation of Philadelphia, and these 3 players are indispensable members of Philadelphia to be able to play such a good performance this season.
Harden + Embiid are also difficult to win
O'Neal is very optimistic about the Harden + Embiid combination, thinking that they will be the most dominant combination of interior and exterior in the league after the OK combination. It is true that if harden at the top of the game, plus Embiid today, they will definitely become a nightmare for any team in the league, but the current situation is likely to make the pair experience the cruelty of reality and ultimately fail.
The first is Harden's state, which has been plagued by injuries and ups and downs this season, and it is hard to believe that he can quickly get back to his peak form in Philadelphia. Despite harden's recent suspicions of passive slacking off, he was fully committed at the beginning of the season, but compared with the omnipotent super scorer on the offensive end in the past, Harden's state makes people feel a kind of helplessness, which is why Harden and Durant cannot lead the Nets to show the strength of the championship this season.
The second is the post-trade roster configuration, according to the Nets' asking price, if Philadelphia management agrees, it means that they will send a top scorer, a top defender, and an interior double, when Philadelphia is missing these 3 important role players, the team's overall offensive and defensive is bound to be greatly affected. Although Harden's personal ability is above the 3 of them, he alone cannot make up for the loss caused by these 3 people to the team in the overall attack and defense.
And in the playoffs, harden in unstable form, coupled with a lack of depth in the rotation lineup, only relying on Embiid to risk injury to carry the team, Philadelphia will have a chance to impact the championship?
Durant Owen or sit back and reap the benefits
If Philadelphia satisfies the Nets' offer and closes the deal, there is no doubt that the Nets will be the biggest winner of the deal, while Durant and Irving will reap the benefits and get multiple champions-winning handymen.
Without Harden, they have lost a real giant, but the defensive and organizational ability brought by Ben Simmons, the outside projection brought by Curry Jr., the outside defense brought by Sable, and the inner line guard brought by Zhuang Shen, etc., the Nets' rotation depth and overall offensive and defensive strength will be greatly improved.
As long as Durant and Irving stay healthy, the Nets have a chance to become title favorites again under the leadership of the two of them. Because they have more reliable helpers around them, Harden "breaks it all to pieces", helping them get multiple key puzzles, more people on the offensive and defensive ends to share the pressure, and the integrity of the team will become better.