It may be to the Rockets benefit. A sulking harden for the rest of this season in Brooklyn may be worth two Simmons in the bush.
It's possible but unlikely the Nets lose him for nothing IMO. IF Harden opts out & signs with a new team the most he can get is 4/200 million. IF Harden opts in (47mil) and is traded to a new team, he can get a 4/226 million extension. 5/274 million total. IF Harden opts out and re-sign with the NETS 5/269 million. I doubt Harden will leave 70+ million on the table. He will be 36 at the end of a 4/200 million contract.
Multiple league sources have said that Thybulle’s name has been mentioned as part of a potential deal for James Harden ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline. One source said Seth Curry and a first-round pick have been mentioned along with Thybulle. A person close the Sixers disputed the package centered around Simmons for Harden. According to The Ringer founder Bill Simmons, the Nets are adamant that Curry be packaged with Simmons in a deal for Harden. A source said as of Wednesday afternoon, a deal isn’t as close to being finalized as people think. The Nets and Sixers engaged in informal trade discussions Tuesday and, according to sources, bickered over pieces to add to a potential deal. Could the Sixers changed their minds to get Harden? Sources have said it’s Harden or bust for the Sixers. At the root of that stance is Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s affinity for Harden from their time together with the Houston Rockets. But the Sixers have said they’re content with waiting until this summer to move Simmons in order to keep their young standouts. The Sixers have a plan to acquire Harden in free agency this summer if need be. Sources say Harden wants to be traded to the Sixers, where he would reunite with Morey and form an elite All-Star pairing with Joel Embiid. However, there’s no guarantee that Harden will be available next summer if the Sixers hold out.
If Patty is coming back with Harden, why would Morey not pull the trigger to include Curry? Harden & Maxey plus Curry is nearly as good as plus Mills, no? I hope his stubbornness / arrogance costs him Harden again And I really hope James is so angry with Kyrie that his hammy lingers until Durant returns, so we can draft Kendall Brown
