Ben Simmons Trade Rumors: 76ers Making PG Available in James Harden Talks

The Houston Rockets have held firm in their decision to not trade 2018 MVP James Harden for anything less than a package of young stars and draft picks, but the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly making some headway on creating a worthwhile deal.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Philadelphia 76ers are making point guard Ben Simmons available in a deal, though the "conversations aren't fluid" just yet. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne added that while Simmons' name has come up in trade talks, those discussions "have come nowhere close to a deal."

Daryl Morey, the 76ers president of basketball operations, responded to the rumors Thursday.

"We are not trading Ben Simmons—he is an important part of our future," Morey said, per Charania. 

Philadelphia is one of the teams that Harden has expressed interest, along with the Brooklyn Nets, where a desire to join his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving was a motivator for requesting a move out of Houston and rejecting a two-year, $103-million extension.

Per Wojnarowski and Shelburne, talks with the Nets have been limited by the Rockets' interest in Brooklyn's personnel and would likely require a third team to be involved before a deal could be reached.

NBA reporter Yaron Weitzman said Monday that the Rockets had asked the Sixers for three first-round picks in addition to Simmons, but at the time they were "unwilling" to part with the two-time All-Star. 

Simmons led the league in steals per game last season with 2.1, while averaging 16.4 points, 8.0 assists and 7.8 rebounds through 35.4 minutes per game en route to an All-NBA selection, despite injuring his knee in mid-August and missing the rest of the season.

In 2018-19, his second year in the league, the 2018 All-Rookie selection posted 16.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.7 assists in 79 starts.

After the team beat the Boston Celtics 108-99 on Tuesday, Simmons spoke highly of new 76ers coach Doc Rivers. 

"He's played the game, so it's easy to relate to him and for him to tell us certain things and us to really understand it on the floor," Simmons said. "He's going to be honest and keep it real with us, which is what I love about him. For me, it gives me confidence to play my game."

Simmons seems happy in Philadelphia, but Harden has been public about his disdain for the franchise he has played with since 2012-13, when he earned the first of eight consecutive All-Star selections. 

Harden reported to the team's first official practices two days late, instead spending time with in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The three-time scoring champion did not play in either of the Rockets' first two preseason games, noting that he is "in catch-up mode" in regards to both conditioning and the systems new head coach Stephen Silas installed (h/t Wojnarowski and Shelburne).