According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Brooklyn Nets are sending James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round selections. Harden has piqued Philadelphia’s interest since his former general manager, Daryl Morey, sought to acquire him from their old job, the Houston Rockets, last season. He failed the first time, but he eventually got his guy the second time.
When Harden sought a trade in 2021, he allegedly favored the Nets to the 76ers, but his time in Brooklyn was difficult from the start. Brooklyn has struggled this season, with Irving only being a part-time player and Durant and Joe Harris both missing time due to injuries. With Harden, who has missed Brooklyn’s last three games with hamstring tightness and is expected to sit again Thursday night, eligible for free agency in the offseason and reportedly frustrated with Irving’s part-time status, the Nets moved quickly to secure as much value as possible given the unfortunate circumstances.
Last season, injuries hampered Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving to only nine regular-season games together. The Nets advanced over the Boston Celtics in the first round, but Harden tore his hamstring against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.
Philadelphia has been navigating a similar minefield for the entirety of the season. Simmons has not played for the team this season and made it apparent that he wanted to be transferred after nearly being dealt for Harden a year ago and being chastised by both Joel Embiid and Doc Rivers following Philadelphia’s semifinal defeat. Despite a slew of lackluster offers, the 76ers remained steadfast. Morey made it plain that in return for Simmons, he wanted a top 30-40 player. Now that he’s found one, the Nets have found a lot younger substitute for the player they just released.