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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

The NBA trade deadline was looking very silent for the most part. However, as it went into the closing time, big news hit had everyone in shock. The rumors about James Harden going to Philadelphia came true as the Nets and Sixers agreed on a trade. While in an interview, NBA analyst Charles Barkley spoke about the trade and gave an honest reason on why James Harden chose the Sixers over the Brooklyn Nets.

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Charles Barkley is one of the most recognized figures when it comes to the NBA. After a successful career on the court, he is still connected to the game as a part of the Inside the NBA crew. During the Harden situation, Barkly was really vocal during the All-Star draft as he shared a hilarious moment with Kevin Durant. With all that on the side, in a recent interview, Barkley dove deeper into the trade.

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While speaking about the whole situation, he revealed the real reason the Beard decided to make a move.

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James Harden tired of Brooklyn?

While on the Rich Eisen show, the Harden-Simmons trade came up. Notably, the moment Durant passed up on his former teammate during the All-Star draft came to light. Addressing the situation, Barkley said he is sick of talking about the Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he went into the situation Harden had with the Nets and why he chose to go with the Sixers,

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Barkley said: James Harden had enough. He said like yo man I didn’t sign up for all this stupidity. I’m going to keep it moving. But it’s gonna be must-see tv the next two to three months about Philly and how that thing’s going to work out in Brooklyn. My job’s going to be fun once I get through with march madness.” 

According to Barkley, the Beard had enough of the drama going on in Brooklyn. With Durant going down, the Nets took a really bad turn going on a major losing streak. Harden couldn’t rely on Kyrie every game, as he could only play road games. Reports even came out about issues between him and Irving surfaced. Hence, the Beard moved on and went with his initial choice.

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While going further into the trade discussion, Charles Barkley made a surprising choice and said the Nets came out on top with this trade. But who really won?

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Who won the trade?

Both sides got good returns in the blockbuster trade. For Barkley, he believes the Nets won the trade, and he has great reason to back it up. Brooklyn got three great players in return with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond. Not only are these three great pieces to a winning franchise, but they all bring in a different advantage to the roster.

Simmons is one of the best defenders in the league and can lock up smaller guards with ease. As for Drummond, the center had led the league in rebounding multiple times and has also dominated the glass. Just like his brother, Seth can shoot the ball really well and is one of the most efficient three-point shooters to play the game averaging 43% for his career.

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USA Today via Reuters

As for Philly, they will have to go to the drawing board to figure out the duo of Embiid and Harden. Embiid continues to prove that he is the top player in the league posting dominating performances night after night. As for Harden, he will need to support the big man by becoming the facilitator and feeding him the ball.

With both teams’ situations still unclear, who do you guys think will do better with this trade? Let us know in the comments below.

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Anuj Talwalkar

4,468 Articles

Anuj Talwalkar is a senior NBA Newsbreak specialist at EssentiallySports, trusted for his real-time coverage and fast, accurate updates on league developments. With five NBA seasons and two Olympics coverages under his belt, Anuj stands out as the go-to reporter for the NBA Matchday Newsdesk. As part of the EssentiallySports Journalistic Excellence Program, he continuously refines his hard reporting with grounded storytelling shaped by fan culture and court-level insights. An economics graduate and lifelong OKC fan since the Supersonics era, Anuj combines analytical thinking and a genuine passion for basketball. He’s recognized for both his live news coverage and feature writing, with aspirations to someday interview Russell Westbrook. Anuj’s reporting is marked by its reliability, depth, and strong connection to the pulse of the NBA.

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