5 in a match, 6 in a row! The Clippers' 7-for-3 trade was considered a lose-lose deal, but it turned out to be a win-win deal
On December 16, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued, and the 76ers beat the Pistons 124-92 in an earlier game that ended today, and after the win, they also won 5 consecutive wins to return to the third place in the East, to be honest, at the beginning of this season, I believe that not many fans were optimistic that the 76ers could reach their current heights, because Harden was dissatisfied with the team's choice to force the palace in the offseason, he refused to continue to play for the 76ers, and openly expressed his desire to join the Clippers.
The Clippers do want to get Harden, but they are not willing to pay too many chips, so the deal was not completed until the start of the new season, and the purpose of the Clippers to reach this deal is also very clear.
In the past few years, the Clippers have been reversed because of the lack of a top backcourt, their ability to control the court is very poor, so they are often reversed, and the 3-1 lead in the playoffs is also reversed by the opponent, although Wei Shao's ability is good, but he does not shoot, he will be targeted at critical moments, and Ka Pepper is often injured, they need to find a player with excellent ability to lead the team, in the face of the team's various problems, it seems that Harden is the most suitable person.
In the end, the two sides completed the deal, and the Clippers sent Batum, Covington, Morris Jr. and two first-round picks and one second-round pick to get Harden, Tucker and Petrushev. After the deal was just completed, to be honest, both sides were not favored, first of all, the 76ers lacked Harden on their side, although Maxey was good, but they seemed to be getting farther and farther away from the championship, and Harden and Wei Shao were not compatible enough, which also made the Clippers questioned a lot, and the deal was considered a lose-lose deal at the time.
But as the season progresses, this deal has become a win-win deal now, let's talk about the Clippers first, when Harden played, they suffered a 5-game losing streak at first, the team was questioned a lot, the Big Four and Tyronn Lue were under a lot of pressure, and it was true that Willis and Harden were not compatible, because they both wanted the ball, and it also affected Leonard's play. In the end, Wei Shao chose to sacrifice data and status, and he came to the bench.
The Clippers have been on the right track since Westbrook moved off the bench, winning 10 of their last 13 games and winning six in a row, the longest winning streak in the league right now. Harden is now gradually adapting to the team's role, and he is averaging 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game so far this season, shooting 46.5% from the field and 41.8% from three-point range.
And with his arrival, the defensive pressure on Leonard has also decreased, and he has gradually returned to his peak level, averaging 33 points per game in the past five games, Zubac has also significantly improved his finishing efficiency and scoring under his feeding cake, and now the Clippers have played at the championship level, Harden finally ushered in a helper comparable to the peak Durant, although the Clippers are a multi-core lineup, but everyone knows the sacrifice, and they will not shake the pot, Harden came to the right place, and the Clippers also found the right piece of the puzzle.
After losing Harden, although the 76ers seem to be getting farther and farther away from the championship, they have enough roster depth and make them look more likely, because of Harden's departure, Embiid has changed, he gets more balls, and now he will hold the ball outside the three-point line to attack, and will also hold the ball to organize and defend, more and more of Jokic and Brother Alphabet have the shadow of the ball-holding inside.
Although there has been Harden in the past few years, Embiid is difficult to get the ball when the opponent is bitten inside, and now he has directly transitioned to the inside after getting rid of Harden, and he is also playing more aggressively, averaging 33.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game this season, shooting 52% from the field, 34% from three-point range, and setting a career high in points and assists per game.
The new signings that the team got from the trade also gave the team a better margin for error. Batum is a jack of all trades, he and Covington are the kind of players whose stats don't show their effect, and he has averaged 6.6 points, 4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game since joining the 76ers, which is very average just by looking at the stats, but his net efficiency is as high as 15.1, winning 15.1 points per game per 100 possessions. Covington has averaged 5.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 11.3 steals per game since joining, shooting 38% from three-point range.
His defensive efficiency of 103.7 is 10th in the league and 11.9 net efficiency is 14th in the league, which is also very good. In addition, Xiao Mo, who didn't get a chance in the Clippers, also played a good performance after getting the opportunity now, scoring 15 points against the Pistons in 5-of-8 and 5-of-5 three-pointers. With Harden confirmed to be leaving, it would be a good fit to bring those resources in exchange. Speaking of which, what do you have to say about this deal?