NBA Rumors: Nets Open to James Harden for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry Trade with 76ers

Despite conflicting reports about James Harden's availability, Bill Simmons of The Ringer reports the Brooklyn Nets would at least consider a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Simmons broke down a potential trade for Ben Simmons and Seth Curry on The Bill Simmons Podcast:

"Brooklyn is open to it, but Curry has to be in the deal. You can aggregate it, I don't care. But for them, Brooklyn is looking at it this year because they have Durant and Durant we assume is going to be healthy pretty soon and the East is wide open and they want a chance to win. And for them, it's like, the trade that makes sense for us is Simmons and Curry for Harden. This is what I heard."

This comes as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported Monday that Nets general manager Sean Marks flatly shut down any trade involving Harden in a conversation with 76ers president Daryl Morey.

Morey has always been a fan of Harden after overseeing the All-Star for eight years with the Houston Rockets. Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Philadelphia has targeted Harden and is willing to wait until the offseason to use Simmons in a sign-and-trade.

If the Nets are open to a move before Thursday's deadline, it could be even better for Philadelphia as it pairs an elite outside shooter with MVP-candidate Joel Embiid.

Curry is averaging 15.3 points per game this season, but Harden would be a significant upgrade as a 10-time All-Star and three-time scoring champ. Even in a down year, he is averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 assists per game in 2021-22.

At 32-21, the 76ers enter Monday just 1.5 games behind the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Pairing Harden and Embiid could make the team a legitimate contender this season.

Considering Simmons is yet to play for Philadelphia this season, this proposed deal would only help the team this year.

There might be more risk from a Nets perspective, especially with Kevin Durant out with a knee injury and Kyrie Irving only playing part-time due to his vaccination status. Taking away another superstar could have the team drop further down the standings after a 29-24 start.

The pieces could still be exciting once everyone is on the court, however.

A healthy Durant and Irving could provide plenty of offense, especially with Curry's outside shooting (40.6 percent from three) and Simmons' passing ability. On the other end of the court, Simmons would immediately become the team's best perimeter defender as a two-time All-Defensive Team player.

Harden could become a free agent in the offseason anyway if he declines his $47.4 million player option, giving Brooklyn plenty of incentive to complete this deal.