76ers won 5 for 2 in 22 years, who are the remaining players? One person went from an All-Star to a basic salary

If you want to talk about the player with the strongest scoring ability at his peak, the answer in the minds of many fans will be James Harden of that year. When he played for the Rockets, he once won the regular season scoring award for three consecutive years. In the 2018-2019 season, he even averaged 36.1 points per game. This performance has never been done by Durant, who has won one more scoring champion than him.

However, even though Harden played MVP-level performance in the regular season in those years, the Rockets still failed to win the championship trophy. So in order to compete for the championship, Harden applied for a deal and joined the Nets in the 2020-2021 season. Here, Harden's teammates became Durant and Irving, so they were also regarded as favorites in the league in the championship. However, when the season was in the playoffs, they were ruined by injuries. In the end, the team lost 3-4 to that year's championship Bucks in the second round and were eliminated. During this period, Harden's personal performance also declined due to a hamstring injury.

By the 2021-2022 season, even though Harden was no longer at his peak due to injury, he was still one of the best guards in the league. At the age of 32, he was still hardworking. He played 44 games for the Nets in the regular season, and averaged 37 minutes per game with a comprehensive data of 22.5 points, 8 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 1.3 steals. The reason why Harden's load is so large is related to Durant and Irving. The former had to take a lot of games due to injury, while Irving was not vaccinated. He was unable to play in some games at all. Therefore, the Nets' Big Three lineup was already in name only at that time.

As the regular season deepened, Harden realized that if he continued like this, not only his body might not be able to withstand it, but the most important thing is that it also seemed that it would be difficult for them to compete for the championship again, so he applied for a deal again. Finally, in February 2022, in order to get Harden, the 76ers finalized a 5-for-2 deal with the Nets, which also included two first-round picks.

Unfortunately, the combination of Harden and Embiid did not work later. They fell in the Eastern Conference semi-finals for two consecutive years. After that, Harden and the management also broke up, so he applied for a deal again and was able to join the Clippers he wanted to go to. As he gets older, Harden has indeed been declining over the years, but now he is still an indispensable member of the Clippers. Last season, he led the team to a successful 50-win record with averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Therefore, he has been selected into the All-Star and All-Squad after many years.

The Clippers and Harden successfully signed a two-year contract renewal of 81.5 million, which is beneficial to both of them. Moreover, the Clippers made many reinforcements around Harden after that. Their current lineup is undoubtedly improved compared to last season. Therefore, even though Harden is one year older, his hopes for the championship in the new season have not been shattered. As long as he and Leonard and others can stay healthy, the Clippers can still strive for the championship.

So after reviewing Harden's experience over the years, we will take stock of other players in the deal involved in 2022. Let's take a look at their future development!

4.Milsap

After Mirsap's contract expired in 2021, he became a free agent. Although he was 35 years old at the time, he averaged 9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game the previous year, he still attracted many teams. Finally, after careful consideration, Millsap chose to join the Nets, and his decision was naturally to win a championship ring at the end of his career.

However, after joining the Nets, Millsap's form showed more declines. Before being traded, he averaged only 3.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage was as low as 37.6%, so he was just adding to the top in this deal. At the 76ers, Millsap was naturally still on the edge of rotation. In the end, he only played for the team in 9 games, averaging only 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. After the season, Millsap basically ended his NBA career, but he had never officially announced his retirement. Until 2024, he finally issued an official statement, but he did not completely leave the sport of basketball. Later, Millsap joined the BIG3 League.

3. Sescurry

As Stephen Curry's younger brother, Sescurry's three-pointers are also very good. He averaged 1.7 three-pointers with a shooting rate of 43.3% in his career. However, because his physical fitness is worse than his brother and his poor ball possession, he has been just a role player for so many years, and is often used as a trader.

After being traded by the 76ers to the Nets, Curry didn't stay here for long. Later, he joined the Mavericks and Hornets. Last season, he averaged 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 three-pointers per game, and his three-point shooting percentage was as high as 45.6% (first in the league). Considering that he is 34 years old, this state is already good among the role players of the same age. According to recent news, Curry is still not ready to retire, and some reporters have revealed that he may join the Warriors to join forces with his brother Stephen Curry.

2. Drummond

Since leaving the Pistons, Drummond has no longer been an All-Star center. Later, he bought out with the Cavaliers and joined the Lakers and 76ers in order to compete for the championship, and was later sent to the Nets. When he played for the latter in the 2021-2022 season, this was his last peak. He averaged 11.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 blocker per game in those 24 games..

Dragon joined the Bulls in 2022. After playing here for two seasons, he returned to the 76ers last year. Last season, he averaged 7.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1 steal per game, but his 50% shooting percentage is still too inefficient for a blue-collar center like him. Therefore, he also knew that his value might still be falling, so he decided to implement the player option for next season and stayed with the 76ers during the offseason.

1. Ben Simmons

As the most important player in this deal, Simmons still received a maximum salary at that time, but the 2021 playoff defeat made the team realize that not only his style of play was obvious, but his mentality was not suitable for the championship team, so they quickly seized the opportunity to get rid of his big contract. After joining the Nets, Simmons was limited by injuries. He only played for this team in total 90 games. Because of this, his contract became more and more premium, and the Nets finally decided to buy out with him last season. After

, Simmons joined the Clippers with a minimum salary, but his playing style is really not suitable for the current NBA, so he did not get much chance here, and he was even closer to being DNP in the playoffs. In the offseason, the Clippers did not renew their contract with Simmons. He is still a free agent. Even if he can find a new job next, he will only have a basic salary.