How Ben Simmons, James Harden trade affects the Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers were quiet on NBA Trade Deadline Day, enjoying their Wednesday night win over the San Antonio Spurs and continuing to dream about new play calls with Sunday acquisition Caris LeVert. While they did so, some of their top competitors in the Eastern Conference made major moves.

The blockbuster took place on the coast, where the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers swapped uniquely-skilled co-stars in a trade that seemed inexplicable even two weeks ago. Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond are now Nets, while James Harden and Paul Millsap are 76ers.

Ben Simmons and James Harden swap places in an NBA Trade Deadline blockbuster. How does this move affect the Cavs and their playoff chances?

The 76ers are currently 32-22, 1.5 games back of the Cavs in the standings, and the teams will play four times between now and the end of the season — including their first meeting on Saturday. The Nets, losers of 10-straight, have called to 29-26 and eighth-place in the East; they have just one meeting remaining with the Cavs in the penultimate game of the season.

How does this wild trade affect the Cavs, both as they jockey for position down the stretch this year and even beyond as the Cavs try to establish themselves as a contender in the Conference for the next decade? The first reaction is that this is bad for the Cavs, and overall it likely is, but there are some silver linings for Cleveland too. Let’s look at the bad news and then the good news in turn.