Mar 8, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard-forward Ben Simmons (25) handles the ball while Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) defends during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
NBABy Sean Keeley on

This entire season, the big question that has been dogging the Philadelphia 76ers is whether or not they’ll be able to trade Ben Simmons and, if so, who will they get for him?

While it’s looked unlikely that a trade might come together this season, a potential scenario that was reported on Friday afternoon could change that. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Brooklyn Nets are believed to be open to discussing a deal that would send James Harden to Philly for Simmons.

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,” wrote Charania. “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.”

While the Nets may be primed to play for a championship, being able to shore up that ability could be enough to make them pull the trigger on this deal. Given that they don’t want to waste Kevin Durant’s prime and they’re already hamstrung by Kyrie Irving’s part-time arrangement, moving a disgruntled Harden for Simmons, who may have a lot to prove, could do it.

While the Big 3 of Durant, Irving, and Harden was supposed to be the trio that took Brooklyn to the championship, they’ve only played 16 games together (with a 13-3 record). Meanwhile, the Sixers would love to get a player like Harden, who is available and ready to play, instead of sitting on Simmons, who refuses to rejoin their roster.

Of course, this kind of deal could also end up blowing up for both teams as both Harden and Simmons have proven themselves mercurial and very happy to force trades whenever their situations are no longer to their liking. So any gains could be short-lived.

There are a lot of moving parts involved in a potential deal like this, and it could very easily fall apart even if talks heat up. But in the meantime, the possibility has a lot of NBA folks talking.

https://twitter.com/russbengtson/status/1489722043130159115

We shall see if this ends up happening or if both teams will simply have to ride out their current rosters and hope they’re healthy enough to make a run in the playoffs.

[The Athletic]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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