James Harden on the table in Sixers and Nets trade talks

As the trade deadline quickly approaches, there appeared to be some level of dread among the Philadelphia 76ers fan base as the likelihood that Ben Simmons would be dealt before the deadline became less and less likely. However, thanks to Shams Charania of The Athletic, some of that dread has been alleviated.

That’s right, former MVP and current All-Star James Harden has been made available in trade talks between the Sixers and the Brooklyn Nets. This of course means that there’s a chance that the 76ers could indeed trade Simmons before the deadline.

Sixers and Nets have trade talks including Harden.

It should be noted that Philly’s president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has a long-standing relationship with Harden when both player and executive were a part of the Houston Rockets. Morey even tried to trade for Harden last season in a deal including Simmons but was ultimately unsuccessful.

In that respect, not much has changed for Morey and the Sixers. It appears that Harden’s union with the Nets hasn’t been so great. Beyond all three players’ ability to be available, Harden’s style of play has apparently been an issue within the Net’s offense, per Charania (subscription needed).

Does this mean a deal will certainly get done? No of course not. It’s clear that Morey has a set value for Simmons and isn’t budging. Philly also has leverage in this situation as well with Harden having the ability to leave as Kyle Neubeck of Philly Voice recently wrote about as well.

Do the 76ers have to add sweeteners in the deal? Yes, they will probably need more than just Simmons, especially in terms of matching money. Any combination of Seth Curry, Matisse Thybulle, and draft picks should be available to the Nets if they want.

However, one player (not named Joel Embiid) that should be untouchable should be Tyrese Maxey as I’ve recently stated on The Sixer Sense Podcast. Sending Simmons and Maxey should be an overpay for Harden considering both young player’s potential as well as where Harden’s at his career.

It should be noted that according to Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBSSports, the 76ers won’t be including Maxey in any Harden talks. This should make Philly fans very happy to hear, especially considering Maxey’s development this season.

Philadelphia 76ers fans should be excited that the Sixers and Nets are open to talking about a Harden trade. If a deal does happen, that means no more Simmons and Embiid as a proven superstar on the roster, however, this is far from a sure thing happening as well so fans should still temper expectations.