National Basketball Association

Does James Harden trade push 76ers to a championship level?

Published Feb. 10, 2022 3:41 p.m. ET

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The biggest deal of the NBA's trade deadline has been completed.

In an absolute blockbuster, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired James Harden and Paul Millsap from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and a pair of first-round picks.

Philly gets an All-Star 1A guard to complement Joel Embiid's paint prowess, while Brooklyn parts ways with a disgruntled star in lieu of shooting aid, a rebounding machine and a nifty two-way playmaker.

Yaron Weitzman gave the trade an A+ grade on both sides. 

But in Colin Cowherd's mind, Philly was the undisputed winner of the deal.

"The winner of this trade is Philadelphia because they get the star player," Cowherd said Thursday on "The Herd." "When Harden is engaged, he's a 25-point per game guy. I get Joel Embiid, and James Harden, that feels like a team that can play for the right to go to the finals in the East. When Harden is on, he's on, and he is a handful."

"Seth Curry is what he is, and draft picks are a coin flip. Simmons is really the key to this. You know Harden's going to be good, he's an All-Star, and Embiid just wants someone to play with. 

"It comes down to Ben Simmons. What's his mood? Where's he emotionally? The crowds are going to boo him, is he in shape? Last time I saw him in practice, he had a cell phone in his pocket. So to me, this is a move to get Philadephia to a championship level. It feels like they're an Eastern Conference Championship team. They'll battle Milwaukee [in the Eastern Conference Finals], and keep your eye on Miami. I got answers in Philadelphia. I got nothing but question marks in Brooklyn."

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James Harden

Ben Simmons

Brooklyn Nets

Philadelphia 76ers

National Basketball Association

Joel Embiid

Seth Curry

Andre Drummond

Colin Cowherd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd