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One Big Trade, Four Different Reactions

Maybe you had just started to fall asleep. Or, perhaps your deep dozing was interrupted by a flurry of push notification buzzes and pings.

At the very latest, it was probably the first thing you saw during your rise-and-shine social media scroll the next morning.

As February 5th faded away, and February 6th started anew, news broke overnight that Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, and Mike Scott were headed to the 76ers. It was the first major deal leading up to the league’s impending February 7th trade deadline, and not only featured a prominent, all-league caliber player, but carried plenty of shock value, too.

On the one week anniversary of the swap becoming official, check out the first-hand accounts of four principle people involved in the transaction - from how they found out about the trade, to their reactions to it.

TOBIAS HARRIS

Just hours before the trade was agreed upon, Tobias Harris scored 34 points and delivered the game-winning shot in a dramatic LA Clippers’ victory at Charlotte. Not too long after that, he found himself in a career-changing meeting.

Harris then went back to his hotel room.

BOBAN MARJANOVIC

In a few short seasons, between the time they’ve spent together in Detroit and LA, Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic have become two peas in a basketball pod. As the duo joked during last week’s introductory press conference, they consider themselves a package deal.

MIKE SCOTT

To start his NBA career, Mike Scott enjoyed some permanence, playing in Atlanta for half a decade. Over parts of the past two years, he’s been with Washington, LA, and now the Sixers. Following the trade, the Chesapeake, VA native sounded enthusiastic to get back to a familiar part of the country.

ELTON BRAND

Having already pulled off one blockbuster earlier in his first season as a general manager, Elton Brand wound up having another megadeal up his sleeve. He and the rest of his front office colleagues were once again prepared to pounce when the right opportunity surfaced.

Brand, however, spared Brett Brown a night owl call, instead giving the head coach a little bit of a heads up that something was brewing.