Doc Rivers Cancels 76ers Practice amid Ben Simmons, James Harden Trade Rumors
February 10, 2022
Amid the blockbuster deal involving Ben Simmons and James Harden, the Philadelphia 76ers won't practice today.
Head coach Doc Rivers told reporters he canceled Thursday's scheduled practice to let everyone relax and reset.
"Tomorrow, we’ll have shootaround with our team, for sure," Rivers said.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers agreed to send Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for Harden and Paul Millsap.
Rivers elaborated on his decision to let the players have a day away from the court:
Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning that Harden wanted a trade to the Sixers, but he didn't made his request public due to fear of backlash that would come from asking to be dealt by a team for a second consecutive year.
Harden was originally acquired by the Nets from the Houston Rockets on Jan. 14, 2021 in a four-team deal that also included the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. He is averaging 22.5 points, 10.2 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game in 44 starts this season.
Lingering hamstring tightness has kept Harden out of Brooklyn's past three games. The Nets are in Washington D.C. to play the Wizards on Thursday night, but Harden has already been ruled out of the game.
The Nets have lost eight straight games and are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 29-25 record. The Sixers have lost three of their last four games, but are in fifth in the Eastern Conference at 32-22 overall.
Simmons has yet to appear in a game this season as he continued to wait for a trade out of Philadelphia. The three-time All-Star now gets to join a Nets team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in pursuit of a championship. He has averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 275 career starts.