When gauging the Nets trade of James Harden for Ben Simmons, the discussion often revolves around the seasons the two big pieces are having this year: Harden is playing well, Simmons isn’t ... at all.
But another piece of that deal is providing big benefits to the Nets: Royce O’Neale was acquired by the Nets with a first round pick and a big trade exception generated by the Harden-for-Simmons trade. No players went from Brooklyn to Salt Lake City, just the big and most of the trade exception. As we’ve noted before, the trade didn’t get much attention at the time, what with Brian Windhorst using the O’Neale to presage the Jazz rebuild in his famous soliloquy .