(Translator’s Note: The author of this article is NBA official website reporter Michael C. Wright. The content in the article does not represent the translator’s opinion. The data statistics in the article are as of February 12, 2022, Beijing time)
Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers The stalemate finally ended on Thursday, local time, when the 76ers sent the three-time All-Star to Brooklyn along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. , in exchange for superstar James Harden.
As a two-time All-Defensive First Team player, Simmons was once considered a reliable cornerstone of Philadelphia's team, able to partner with five-time All-Star Embiid for many years. But everything fell apart in the long process that began with Simmons requesting a trade last August, followed by his refusal to participate in practices, suspensions, fines, and revealing to Philadelphia that he was not mentally ready to return to the team.
The Brooklyn Nets and Harden have also experienced a period of uncertainty recently. There are reports that the former MVP player wants to be traded, and previous head coach Nash said on Wednesday that the team does not intend to trade him. During the Nets' recent ten-game losing streak, Harden missed the last four games due to hamstring tightness.
Now, Harden will go to Philadelphia to play alongside Embiid, while Simmons will go to Brooklyn to join the camp of superstars Irving and Durant. In the past four seasons with Philadelphia, Simmons averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game. Philadelphia selected the LSU product with the first overall pick in 2016. Harden played 80 regular season games and two rounds of playoffs for the Nets.
This deal involves only two of the NBA's All-Star lineups that have been separated. Here are 10 other All-Star lineups that have been separated in recent years.
1. Harden + Irving + Durant, Brooklyn Nets
Time together: more than 1 season (2020-21 season to 2021-22 season)
Results: One playoff time
Last January, when the three-time scorer When Wang and former MVP player Harden became teammates with Irving and Durant (the latter two had won a total of 3 championships before joining the Nets), it was almost foreseeable that Brooklyn would win the championship.
The Nets acquired Harden from Houston in a blockbuster four-team trade (also involving the Pacers and Cavaliers). The assets they sent to the Rockets included Caris LeVert and three first-round draft picks. right. The result of all this effort is that the Nets' Big Three have only played in 16 of the 125 games they've had the opportunity to play together. If you look closely, considering that Durant left the game in the third quarter of one of the games due to triggering the league's health and safety protocols, and Harden left the game due to a hamstring injury during the first possession of the ball in the first quarter of another game, They only played 14 and a half games together.
Durant's knee injury in January and Irving's decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine further limited the opportunity for the three to play together. In compliance with New York City's vaccination regulations, Irving will only be able to participate in away games upon his return.
2. Westbrook + Harden, Houston Rockets
Time together: 1 season (2019-20 season)
Results: One playoff game
Just two weeks after Stephen Silas replaced D'Antoni as the Rockets head coach, A report came out that Westbrook wanted to leave the Rockets, partly because Westbrook was not optimistic about the club's responsibility and culture.
In July 2019, the two former MVPs and Oklahoma City teammates reunited as a team after seven years. You might have thought that the over-the-top atmosphere during Rockets media days that year would translate into actual honors, but that wasn't the case. The Rockets finished the season ranked fourth in the Western Conference. They narrowly defeated the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs and then lost 1-4 to the Lakers in the semifinals.
Two months later, Westbrook's trade request triggered a series of changes that eventually led to Harden's departure, and the Rockets ended the 2020-21 season with only a 17-55 record.
3. Wall + Bill, Washington Wizards
Time together: 7 seasons (2012-13 season to 2018-19 season)
Results: 4 playoff times
They were selected to the NBA All-Star team a total of 7 times, and Bill can grow into The player he is today is partly due to Wall's absence due to injury. In the five seasons from 2013 to 2018, the duo led the Washington Wizards to the playoffs four times, but the Wizards have never made it past the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Wall missed two seasons with injuries to his left Achilles tendon, left knee and left heel, and just when it looked like he would return to Beal fully healthy, the Wizards traded the guard to Houston in a deal that And traded Westbrook to Washington. Wall's first season in Houston ended in April when he was benched due to a hamstring injury. Beal entered the league's third team last season and is still a frequent subject of many trade rumors.
4. Durant + Curry, Golden State Warriors
Time to work together: 3 seasons (2016-17 season to 2018-19 season)
Results: 2 championships
You might say, if it weren’t for Durant in 2019 Had Klay not injured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2016 Finals against the Raptors, or had Klay not torn his left ACL in the game immediately following, the Warriors might have won three NBA championships with this duo. champion. The spotlight was constantly shining on the star-studded Warriors, revealing some tense moments as well as many surprising highlights during Durant's incredibly successful Warriors career.
Durant, Curry and Thompson were selected to three consecutive All-Stars (2016-19) while Durant was playing for the Warriors, while Draymond Green was selected to two consecutive All-Stars (2016-18). Durant won two Finals MVP awards while with the Warriors before joining the Brooklyn Nets in July 2019. He didn't play his first season in Brooklyn and has been recovering from an Achilles injury. After being absent for 552 days, he finally made his debut in December last year.
5. George + Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Time together: 2 seasons (2017-18 to 2018-19 season)
Results: 2 playoffs
Westbrook held a "Summer Carnival" in Oklahoma City House Party” confirmed George’s verbal commitment to re-sign with the Thunder in the summer of 2018, which seems like a lifetime ago. George eventually signed a four-year max contract with the Thunder in July of that year, but requested a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers the following summer.
Time flies, right? In two seasons playing together, Westbrook and George led the Thunder to a 3-8 record in the playoffs, including two first-round exits, one of which was orchestrated by Lillard, that led to a league-wide Offseason landscape changes. George joined Leonard on the Clippers later that summer, while Westbrook headed to Houston to work with Harden. In the trade of George to the Clippers, the Thunder ended up getting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
6. Leonard + Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Time together: 1 season (2018-19 season)
Results: 1 championship
When the Raptors reached a deal to introduce Leonard from the Spurs in 2018 At the time, they knew the deal might only last one year, making it difficult for Masa Ujiri to keep the wing player when he returned to free agency. The Raptors seized this opportunity, bringing the team its first championship in team history and allowing Leonard to win his second Finals MVP trophy.
Leonard's buzzer-beater in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals proved to be one of the most thrilling goals of the playoffs. But Ujiri failed to convince Leonard to stay and defend his title again. Both Lowry and Leonard were All-Stars that season, but the point guard wasn't planning on swaying Leonard's decision as a free agent. "(Kawhi) will make his own decision, and no matter what decision he makes, I'll be happy," Lowry told ESPN. "In the end, he helped me get what I wanted."
7. Cousins + thick eyebrows, New Orleans Pelicans
Time together: more than 1 season (2016-17 season to 2017-18 season)
Results: 1 playoff appearance
In a frontcourt occupied by big men In the first half of the season, New Orleans has shown a retro basketball atmosphere. In the short time they worked together, Davis and Cousins contributed a combined 53.1 points and 24.2 rebounds to the Pelicans every night. Cousins + David. New Orleans had yet to advance to the playoffs after the Stalin era. Sadly, Cousins tore his left Achilles tendon in January of that year and was unable to play in what would have been his first game. Just a few months before becoming a free agent, Cousins reached career highs in rebounds, assists and steals and had a chance to earn a max contract. Cousins signed a one-year contract with the Warriors that summer. Davis later requested a trade and eventually went to the Lakers.
8. Towns + Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves
Time together: 1 season. (2017-18)
Grades: 1 Playoff
Pairing the veteran swingman with a young center entering his third season made a lot of sense, and initially it produced strong grades for Minnesota in 2018. Entering the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons (the Timberwolves have never made it to the playoffs since), the pair failed to make it to the second year, as Butler failed to make it to the start of training camp just days before. He applied for a trade, then missed most of training camp and preseason games, and returned to participate in one of the most reported practice games in recent years.
Various news came out that offseason that Butler was not interested in the game. Towns and Wiggins were frustrated by their complacency, so on November 10, the Timberwolves sent Butler to Philadelphia in a multi-player deal
9. DeRozan + Lowry, Toronto Raptors
. Time together: 6 seasons (2012-13 to 2017-18)
Results: 5 playoff appearances
Since the two had become best friends off the court, this breakup hurt both of them. - DeRozan never wanted to leave Toronto after being swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 and 2018 Eastern Conference semifinals. Zan believes it’s finally the Raptors’ turn to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. He was right, but he didn't expect the Raptors to get there without him. The club packaged the veteran wing with Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick in exchange for Leonard and Danny Green. Interestingly, DeRozan and Lowry are both set to become free agents, and perhaps they are planning a reunion. Maybe in Los Angeles with James?
10. Irving + James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Time together: 3 seasons (2014-15 season to 2016-17 season)
Results: 1 championship
Strictly speaking, the Cavaliers actually have two pairs of All-Star combinations that broke up . Because after James left Cleveland to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent, Love served as an injury substitute in the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, but this statement is somewhat unreasonable.
More than a year after hitting the historic shot that won the Cavaliers their first championship in franchise history, reports began to emerge that Irving had offered a trade to the team. According to reports, Irving wants to be the focus of the team and no longer wants to play with James. That trade request led to the split, with the Cavaliers sending Irving to Boston in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick. right.
In January 2019, Irving told reporters that he finally took the time to call James and apologize for his youthful behavior with the Cavaliers. "I had to call LeBron and tell him that I apologized for my behavior as a young player who wanted everything under control. I wanted to be the guy that led the team to a championship. I wanted to be the leader. I Want to be that person.”
(original text: Michael C. Wright)
(compiler: Yongxin)
