There hasn’t seemingly been any progress made on the three-time NBA All-Star Ben Simmons trade front, as he and the Philadelphia 76ers are holding steady in their standoff. Simmons wants to be traded, the 76ers are holding out hope he’ll return to the court for them, but if they have to deal him, want a significant package in return.
One player that would meet the 76ers’ demands is James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets. Harden is someone that Daryl Morey is enamored with. He was part of the front office with the Houston Rockets when Harden was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder and tried to acquire him again last season before he landed with the Nets.
Now, he is trying again to bring Harden to Philadelphia. There have been a lot of rumors about James Harden’s frustrations growing in Brooklyn and many people believe he will ultimately end up with the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, that won’t be occurring during the regular season. As one NBA executive told HoopHype, the Nets aren’t going to trade Harden before the February 10th deadline.
“The Nets aren’t trading Harden,” one NBA executive said when speaking with HoopsHype. “He’s staying, and they’ll take their chances in the playoffs. Maybe they’ll look to trade in the summer. They gave up too much to get him and have to see it through this year.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Inside Nets-Sixers Trade Talks Revolving Around James Harden
Brooklyn was among the title favorites coming into the season, but things have quickly deteriorated. Kevin Durant is currently sidelined because of an MCL injury and the team is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. Kyrie Irving remains ineligible for home games because of the vaccine mandates in New York City and he is not planning on getting vaccinated.
That has left Harden carrying a heavy load, but he is now banged up as well. He sat out recently with hamstring soreness but it is his hand injury that is more worrisome now. With all three players not at 100 percent, this Nets team has struggled mightily.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Inside Nets-Sixers Trade Talks Revolving Around James Harden
But, as the executive said, they are too far in to turn around now. If a move is needed to be done in the offseason, so be it. But the Brooklyn Nets aren’t breaking up their Big 3 ahead of the deadline as Morey will have to wait until the summer to try and land his No. 1 target in Harden.
