Sixers Thank Ben Simmons, Seth Curry on Twitter
With the 2022 NBA trade deadline in the rearview, the Philadelphia 76ers look quite different. Although they only made one trade, the Sixers sent a few players packing while acquiring two to come in.
Finally, Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey managed to put an end to the drawn-out Ben Simmons saga. And as he got rid of the holdout, Morey brought in a guard they've pursued since last season in James Harden.
Considering they were acquiring a -time All-Star in Harden, the Sixers had to send out a little more than just Simmons. Therefore, they dealt away the starting shooting guard Seth Curry and the backup center, Andre Drummond.
Meanwhile, the Sixers landed Harden and the veteran forward/center, Paul Millsap.
On Thursday night, the Sixers made the trade official with a formal announcement along with a statement from the team's Managing Partner Josh Harris.
On Friday morning, the Sixers' Twitter account put out a "Thank You" post dedicated to Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and Ben Simmons.
Sixers Give Thanks
Seth Curry and Andre Drummond weren't in Philly for a long time. Curry, who joined the Sixers two offseasons ago via trade from the Dallas Mavericks, started in 102 games with the 76ers. He averaged 13.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game over the course of roughly a season and a half.
As for Drummond, he joined the Sixers this past offseason. After bouncing around from Cleveland to Los Angeles, Drummond inked a one-year deal with the Sixers in the offseason. He played in 49 games with the Sixers and was primarily a backup for Joel Embiid. During his time in Philly, Drummond collected 433 total rebounds, which ranked 18th in the NBA this year.
And lastly, the Sixers thank their former first-overall pick, Ben Simmons. After spending a lone season at LSU in 2015-2016, Simmons became Philadelphia's first No. 1 overall pick since Allen Iverson. In four seasons, Simmons became an All-Star three times and notched two All-Defensive First-Team honors. He was also the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 2018.
Simmons' time in Philadelphia will end on a bad note considering everything that's happened over the last eight months or so. But the star guard leaves Philadelphia after giving the team some nice memories prior to the dark days of his holdout.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
