Although the Ben Simmons-James Harden trade talks between the 76ers and Nets have reportedly gone nowhere, the Sixers “strongly believe” the star guard will not re-sign with the Brooklyn when he hits free agency, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick.
On Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that Nets general manager Sean Marks dismissed Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey’s interest in Harden during a January phone call. It reportedly marks the lone direct communication between the two this season.
Before the Nets’ eighth consecutive loss on Sunday, coach Steve Nash said that the organization has no plans to trade Harden ahead of Thursday's deadline.
Nash said Sunday that Harden has “continually reiterated that he wants to be here. And we’ve continually said that we want him here. That’s our best chance to win. Nothing’s changed from the communication we’ve had.”
When asked explicitly if the team was not trading Harden, Nash responded, ”Yes, that’s correct.”
The remarks came after The Athletic reported Friday that Philadelphia was expected to pursue a deal for the guard and Brooklyn was open to discussing the matter. In a return package, the Nets would reportedly receive three-time All-Star Ben Simmons, who is under contract with the Sixers through the 2024-25 season.
The Thursday trade deadline is fast approaching, and it’s still unclear what moves the two franchises will make.
