I'd love to see Harden leave Brooklyn for nothing, but a close second is adding a non-shooting and problematic Ben Simmons with a great big chip on his shoulder onto a roster with Kyrie.
"The Philadelphia 76ers and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey had been plotting to wait for the offseason to chase James Harden as a free agent and save Ben Simmons for a potential deal, but they may not have to wait that long after all. With the NBA trade deadline just days away on Feb. 10, the 76ers are expected to pursue Harden in the coming days and the Nets are believed to be open to discussing a deal, sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic. There’s expectation that both the 76ers and Nets will engage in dialogue on a deal around Simmons for Harden, multiple sources say, with Philadelphia holding a chest of role players in Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle that could sweeten a potential package. Still, there’s no urgency for Nets officials, who have had the steadfast belief that the current core, as is, has the means necessary for a championship. However, it’s believed that an opening exists should an offer elevate the team and make the roster more well-rounded as the franchise pursues a championship. Harden will miss Friday’s game against the Jazz due to tightness in his left hamstring. Along with the potential of improving the roster depth, the Nets appear in need of change in what is a critical year in Kevin Durant’s prime, with a player option looming for Kyrie Irving in the offseason and with the organization’s championship expectations. When the Nets acquired Harden in a blockbuster trade in January 2021, the Big 3 he formed with Durant and Irving promised to be indestructible, arguably the most lethal offensive combination ever assembled. In the 16 games all three have played together, Brooklyn is 13-3. Their availability together has been a major concern, and perhaps could be a tremendous what-if factor in the grand scheme. But beyond availability, sources say there have been growing concerns over Harden’s playing style — one of dominant ballhandling and his own pace from his MVP and All-NBA days in Houston — that contrasts with the free-flowing, organic approach from his two co-stars. Nets coach Steve Nash has met with his team’s stars over finding the balance and most beneficial styles, and although there have been bright spots, too often the team has reverted to a more dry offense at the end of games, especially against the league’s elite teams. In addition, the Nets’ game plans tend to shift depending on when Harden is on and off the floor, meaning a different play style at certain points. This has also been a point of contention from the coaching staff and players, sources said. Harden was named to his 10th consecutive All-Star team this week, and remains a threat all over the floor despite a down season offensively (points per game his lowest since his third season in 2011-12, field-goal shooting percentage of 41.4 percent the lowest since his rookie year). Simmons, over on the Sixers side, has yet to play this season after requesting a trade in the offseason and then informing the team in October that he is not mentally ready to play and needs time to work on himself. The expected openness to engage does not mean a deal will come to fruition — the Nets would surely want a significant haul from the 76ers. But it has opened the door to the possibility of a major blockbuster deal to occur on deadline week, which means Morey and the 76ers are primed to have their shot at Harden in-season, a potential deal that once seemed only possible in the summertime. The 76ers want to find a star player able to elevate their championship chances this season, and rival teams believe the team will wait on moving Simmons until they find that caliber of player. There’s no question: Harden suffices the threshold. And his history with Morey fuels the 76ers with confidence that the pairing of Harden and MVP favorite Joel Embiid has tremendous title odds. Across the league, the Simmons market has become more focused as the deadline nears. The Atlanta Hawks have been most engaged with the 76ers in recent weeks, according to sources. The sides have discussed a framework around John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and draft compensation, those sources have said. The Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, have made clear that they have moved on from the Simmons sweepstakes after being one of the top suitors in the past few months. The Minnesota Timberwolves have also remained in conversations with the 76ers, but are unwilling to meet Philadelphia’s high threshold for draft picks. Minnesota has indicated an openness to discussing a package that includes Simmons and Tobias Harris, sources said, but that offer would not come with draft capital from the Timberwolves and the 76ers do not view both players as part of a salary dump trade. The gulf in perspective is why there hasn’t been much traction so far. At 27-25, the Timberwolves are firmly in the postseason picture in the Western Conference, have had positive play from All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, rising young guard Anthony Edwards and veteran guard D’Angelo Russell. Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Sachin Gupta has been described as dutiful and active in conversations throughout the league. Teams around the NBA have believed a Simmons deal would wait until the offseason, but as the trade deadline nears, all eyes are now firmly on the 76ers and Nets to possibly get a deal done. There’s a renewed sense of urgency around these Nets, and it could create a domino effect for several teams that sets the stage for this year’s deadline to have a major impact."
holy sh*t if Harden is traded, please let it be for Simmons and not much else…this isn’t Houston Harden Philly is trading for
I wouldn't mind them trading Harden. Once he's off the Nets I can root for him to succeed again, right now he's too tied to our own future. I'd much rather root against Simmons, Kyrie and KD (who I already hate from his Warriors days) and root for Harden to click with Embid and chase a chip whilst we develop. Then I can root for Kyrie to stay mental and quit, Simmons to play badly in a playoff series and KD call him out so he sits and whines and the Nets to implode. That's a major win win for me haha.
I don't know. Harden is old and looking washed. I'd rather the Nets stick with him and see him decline vs. them getting a young Simmons who keeps them playoff bound for the foreseeable future. Simmons problem is advancing in the playoffs, not getting there.
Morey has wanted Harden all along. Looks like he might get his wish if a Simmons/Thybulle for Harden trade goes down (plus parts both ways). Harden's health, obviously, is a question mark. It gets the Simmons anchor off the back of the Sixers, and if Harden is in shape for the playoffs, Philadelphia is a much better team in my opinion. Could actually help the Nets, as well. For us? The impact on the Nets and how it impacts our future draft haul remains to be seen. Of course, this could end up being noise and nothing more. We'll see.
Yeah. This is my thinking. If he's really wearing down, then I'd rather see him leave later and be injured now. Giving them Simmons gives them some kind of hope for the future. Then again, maybe they break it all up within a year or two. I just want all those picks maximized. lol. Then again, I don't know if Harden is trying to "injure" his way over to Philadelphia. I'm still trying to figure out which is better for the Rockets... part of me thinks a healthy KD + Simmons + Kyrie combo is a freaky-talented passing/scoring trio where a KD and Kyrie can overcome Simmons' shooting issues. I would rather have Harden shut down for a while and the Nets hope they can squeak into the playoffs but their regular season record suffers, then KD come back, but not be quite KD yet towards the end of the season with no sign of Joe Harris. I don't care what they really do in the playoffs as long as their regular season sucks. I mean, other than "go win a championship and then break up".
It'll be interesting to see if Morey adds Maxey this time... Maxey's been balling. Kyrie/Maxey/Mills that's plenty of good guards to complement Simmons/KD. I'm not liking this tremendously for our picks situation...
I think Harden being the vocal guy he is, rightly so, was too much smoke for the BKN Nets to ignore based on how much they traded to get him. We own them till the end of this decade and Morey is using that to make a league shifting deal. I'm interested if the tampering allegations was enough for Morey to make a deal happen now, so it doesn't come back to bite at a later time. It may still bite them... More importantly, Nets don't want him walking for nothing and now 76ers are striking. He's gone and we should've seen this coming once Kyrie started playing his shenanigans. It's not about a chip for him, he already got his. KD already got his. Kyrie's covid stance is literally changing the course of the Nets and NBA. Harden literally balling out, albeit not at the level he once was, but he's been shouldering the load and keeping them afloat and this is how they do him? Finally, we know who's back KD has. I hope this bites them in the ass and Harden comes back to Houston with all the ammo we have. This report coming out all but ends his career in BKN I'd think. Chips are on the table.
Harden wants to be traded. Therefore, I do not want him to be traded. We all know how a disgruntled Harden plays.
This trade will be bad for the Rockets. Don’t get trapped on narratives. Should have taken the 76ers package and the Nets are going to show you why.
I disagree with this. You are seeing what happens when Simmons doesnt want to play for you. We would have been drafting 17ish with Simmons pacified for who knows how long. Wall/Simmons/Wood and Tate would be leading us to the play-in this year with absolutely no value to trade for a star. It would be be free agency or bust in 2023. The value and potential of those picks increases everyday IMO. Kyrie and KD will always have injuries or drama between the 2. If you want to make the argument That we should have kept Allen or flipped Victor, I get that though.
