The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers may have some business to tend to ahead of the NBA trade deadline and it may involve former league MVP James Harden.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets and Sixers are expected to believed to be open to ‘discussing a deal’ for James Harden as Philadelphia continues to survey solutions in the ongoing search for a Ben Simmons trade.
“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“
The Nets made a massive investment when it came to acquiring Harden in the trade from the Houston Rockets—exhausting their cache of future first-round picks. Brooklyn would need to land a genuinely enticing trade package in order to part with Harden, especially to send him within the Eastern Conference.
Ben Simmons would be the clear centerpiece of a potential trade that would send Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, Charania reported that role players such as Seth Curry, Tyrese Haliburton, and Matisse Thybulle are considered options to ‘sweeten’ a potential trade package.
There’s expectation that both the 76ers and Nets will engage in dialogue on a deal around Simmons for Harden this week, 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.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Teams Sound Really Worried About James Harden Going To Sixers
While the Nets are not necessarily looking to make a move involving Harden just for the sake of a deal, they reportedly are open to a deal if it can help better balance out their roster around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
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.
The Brooklyn Nets have been sinking as of late, and fast. They have lost six consecutive games as Kevin Durant remains sidelined. There’s been growing doubts about the fit with James Harden and the rest of the team given the half-court offense operates much differently when he is on the floor versus when he is off.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Teams Sound Really Worried About James Harden Going To Sixers
The ties that James Harden shares with a variety of key members of the Philadelphia 76ers organization has raised attention to them being a potential landing spot for the former MVP in the near future. The expectation was in regards to a potential sign-and-trade scenario in the offseason, not a deal at the NBA trade deadline.
