Summary
On February 10, 2022, the Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks. This was the first crack in the Big Three foundation — Harden forced his way out after growing frustrated with Kyrie Irving's part-time availability and his own declining relationship with KD. The trade's most lasting impact: the Rockets' first-round pick that eventually conveyed at #27 in the 2025 NBA Draft, where the Nets selected Danny Wolf.
Key Insights
- Traded February 10, 2022 — nearly a year before the KD and Kyrie trades
- Harden had been disengaged and was clearly angling for Philadelphia
- Return: Ben Simmons (never played for Brooklyn due to mental health + back injury), Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, 2 first-round picks
- One of those firsts was originally Houston's — top-4 protected, conveyed at #27 in 2025
- Ben Simmons was a catastrophic return: he played only 57 games across two seasons before being traded
- The trade signaled the beginning of the end for the superstar experiment
Details
The Trade Package
Nets sent: James Harden, Paul Millsap
Nets received:
- Ben Simmons (disaster — back injury, mental health struggles, barely played)
- Seth Curry (solid shooter, later moved)
- Andre Drummond (expiring, minimal impact)
- 2025 PHI 1st → actually HOU 1st (top-4 protected) → conveyed at #27, used on Danny Wolf
- 2027 1st (details varied in reports)
The Ben Simmons Disaster
Simmons was supposed to be the centerpiece return — a former All-Star and DPOY candidate. Instead:
- He didn't play a single game in the 2021-22 season (mental health, back surgery)
- Played 42 games in 2022-23, averaging just 6.9 PPG — a shell of his former self
- Played 15 games in 2023-24 before being shut down
- Eventually traded as salary filler
Simmons is the cautionary tale of trading for a player with unresolved issues. The Nets got a fraction of his value.
The Rockets Pick
The saving grace. Houston's first-round pick was top-4 protected, meaning it would only convey if Houston finished outside the top 4. In 2025, the Rockets were competitive enough that the pick conveyed at #27 — and the Nets used it to draft Danny Wolf, a 6'11" stretch big from Michigan.
Related
Open Questions
- Could the Nets have gotten a better return if they'd traded Harden to a different team?
- Was the Simmons gamble defensible at the time, even though it failed?