The Beard x The City of Brotherly Love

The NBA Trade Deadline

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Months of drama, rumours, and tweets in the leadup to the NBA trade deadline came to a close yesterday afternoon. NBA twitter’s favourite rivalry of Woj vs. Shams was in full force yesterday, as fans were glued to their screens, refreshing every second to see the latest trade updates. The biggest deal of the day? The bearded dragon himself – James Harden – moving a few states down to join Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.

You can stick to Twitter to see analysis of the move for both teams, but going beyond the value on the court – what does this trade mean for everyone involved?

For Harden and the 76ers, the time is now to capitalize both on and off the court. On the court, you have 2 of the NBA’s biggest superstars. Off the court? The 76ers now have access to over 23 million social media followers, and the most famous beard in the league. It is no secret that Ben Simmons being out of action has diminished the star power the 76ers marketing team has to work with – and Harden’s name, image, and likeness will be a welcomed addition to their content. As the 76ers look to make a big playoff run, be prepared to see Harden’s face (and beard) side-by-side with Joel Embiid on billboards and social media posts in the greater Philadelphia area.

On the Brooklyn Nets side – the plan is not so straightforward. Ben Simmons was one of the brightest young stars before his injuries and the drama surrounding his absence from action this season. Prior to that, Simmons’ social value was on the rise, with more brand endorsements and a higher engagement than Harden – but a slower follower growth and smaller follower count. The Brooklyn Nets on-court performance are also not trending in the right direction, but we’ll save that discussion for a different newsletter.

Finally, on the topic of the NBA Trade Deadline and its marketability potential. Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania are arguably the biggest stars of the deadline, even when James Harden was dominating headlines. With Woj and Shams on opposite media teams (ESPN and The Athletic, respectively), there is a bigger rivalry to look at here. In a recent edition of the Sport Marketeer, we discussed the recent acquisition of The Athletic by the New York Times – and the NYT’s push to grow their digital subscriber base. The NHL Trade Deadline has been sponsored every year on TSN, which might be an example that The Athletic would want to follow to expand and grow their platform in this David vs. Goliath matchup.

Published: February 11, 2022 - Issue 26 of The Sport Marketeer