When last February’s trade went down between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, the majority of the talk revolved around the two headliners, James Harden and Ben Simmons. Could Simmons regain his All-Star form getting a fresh start in a new environment? (Signs point to no.) How will The Beard co-exist with Joel Embiid and how much does he have left in those legs after a decade-plus in the league? (Pretty darn good, and plenty so far.)
However, the two other players the Sixers included in the deal were pretty impactful as well. Andre Drummond was the team’s best backup center in years.