Stephen A. Smith Rips Daryl Morey for James Harden, Ben Simmons Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets fired up negotiations late last week ahead of the trade deadline. As the Sixers wanted to finally land James Harden and erase the Ben Simmons saga in the process, Daryl Morey pursued the star guard he once traded for in Houston once again.

Brooklyn showed a lot of resistance at first, but eventually, they accepted reality. Harden wasn't going to re-sign in Brooklyn in the upcoming offseason. 

While the Nets reportedly considered riding out the rest of the season with the former MVP, they decided to get value for him now while eliminating the distraction he might've been had he stayed in Brooklyn. 

A couple of hours before the NBA trade deadline capped all moves for the season, the Sixers and the Nets struck a blockbuster deal swapping Simmons and Harden along with more. Shortly after, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith reacted to the move and was not holding back his criticism for Daryl Morey.

Stephen A. Gets Critical

"This could potentially go down as the worst day in the career of Daryl Morey, the worst day. Think about this for a second here. You gave up a shooter in Seth Curry. I hear that he can’t guard and Huerter got 27 on him in a playoffs. Stop it. The bottom line is he’s one of the premier shooters in the game. OK? You think about him, he’s gone. You gave up two first-round picks. How do you go from asking for first-round picks to giving up two of them? That makes no sense to me whatsoever. And so when I look at it from that perspective, and whatever else they gave up, when you think about Ben Simmons and how he complements KD and Kyrie, what he brings to the table in terms of his playmaking ability, his ballhandling skills, his defensive prowess."

...

"I don’t think there’s any doubt that Brooklyn benefits from this trade. Now when you look at Harden, how long can he be that guy in Philadelphia? Because when KD, Kyrie and Ben Simmons, and an extra big body on your front line in Brooklyn. I see Brooklyn as the clear winner in this deal."

It's no secret the Sixers might've made their competition a little tougher by sending three of their guys to a direct competitor in the Nets. While Simmons isn't of the same caliber as Harden, he's still a three-time All-Star who fits exceptionally well in Brooklyn's offense with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. In addition, he offers Brooklyn elite perimeter defense, which is something they lacked with Harden and Irving.

Giving up Curry and Andre Drummond obviously affects the Sixers a bit, but they weren't guys who were going to move the needle for the Sixers and help Philly finally become championship contenders. Therefore, Morey used them as an opportunity to take a swing at a superstar in Harden. 

The actual winner of this trade has yet to be seen since neither team has played with their new acquisitions. Stephen A considering the Nets the winner of the trade is a legitimate argument. Calling it the "worst day in the career of Daryl Morey" is a bit of a stretch, though. After all, Morey's 2019 Chris Paul and picks for Russell Westbrook trade was among the most criticized trades in recent time the following year.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.