The Nets are trading guard James Harden to the 76ers in a long-rumored deal for guard/forward Ben Simmons in a swap of stars, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The deal will also send 76ers guard Seth Curry and center Andre Drummond to the Nets, and Nets forward Paul Millsap to the 76ers, added ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Along with all that, the Nets will receive two first-round picks, Wojnarowski added.
The Nets will get the Sixers’ 2022 first-round pick unprotected with a right to defer until 2023 and a 2027 first-round pick protected 1-to-8,” Wojnarowski wrote. “The 2027 pick would roll over to 2028 protected 1-to-8 again. The pick turns into two seconds and $2M in 2029.”
The trade reunites Harden with 76ers head of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who was the GM of the Rockets when Harden was their star. Morey had been charging hard after Harden in recent weeks before finally pulling off a deal.
Meanwhile, the trade will allow Simmons to pair with Kevin Durant (when healthy) and Kyrie Irving, placing a new Big Three in Brooklyn. Curry and Drummond will offer added depth to a lineup that has been injury-prone through most of the season.
Simmons has yet to appear in a game this season, but his ability to play point guard will give the Nets another star ball-handler in Irving’s absences. Irving has refused to be vaccinated and therefore still cannot play in Brooklyn home games, given New York City’s vax mandate.
The trade felt like a long shot up until the final minutes in which it was agreed, with the Nets seemingly not wanting to depart with Harden. However, reports surfaced that he wanted to join Joel Embiid with the 76ers — and given that he will enter free agency this summer, the Nets likely felt forced to make a deal.
We will have lots of follow-up and reaction to this mega-trade on Hoops Wire throughout the day.
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