The Philadelphia 76ers don’t seem any closer now than they were at the beginning of the 2021-22 NBA season to find a resolution with Ben Simmons. There seemed to be some progress made when Simmons reported and opened up about his mental well-being, but things quickly soured after that again.
Despite all the uncertainty surrounding the situation, there has been one constant; the 76ers’ asking price in a trade for him. Daryl Morey has held strong on what he expects in return for his 25-year old All-Star and has shown no signs of budging.
Recently, it was revealed that the 76ers have a list of players that they would accept in a trade for Simmons. There were 20-30 players on that list and the timetable for their availability ranged, even some going into the next year or two.
One of the players that were reportedly on that list is James Harden. His future with the Brooklyn Nets is a little bit up in the air as he didn’t sign an extension with the team. But, that could have been monetarily driven, as he stands to make a lot more money re-signing next offseason than agreeing to an extension.
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James Harden has said that he loves Brooklyn, but when a player hits free agency, anything can happen. The 76ers will pursue him, but it is something that the Nets have been preparing a long time for.
“Even before those reports, Nets people who would need to be aware of Harden’s future were well aware that Philadelphia loomed as a potential suitor for the guard, SNY sources say.”
This isn’t the first time that the 76ers have shown interest in James Harden. They were one of the teams in the running to acquire him from the Houston Rockets last season before the Nets ultimately landed him.
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Brooklyn is the favorite to retain James Harden, but you never know what will happen once the offseason rolls around. If anything should occur between now and then that causes Harden to second-guess his future with the Brooklyn Nets, Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers will be right there to capitalize.
