Sixers Trade Ben Simmons, Seth Curry to Nets in Exchange for James Harden

The Philadelphia 76ers are officially putting an end to the Ben Simmons saga. And once and for all, they get the star player they've been pursuing since last season. 

According to ESPN's NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are sending Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets.

In exchange, the Sixers will land the superstar guard James Harden, and the veteran big man, Paul Millsap, team officials confirmed on Thursday.

Since last season, the Sixers attempted to land Harden as he grew disgruntled with the Houston Rockets. Daryl Morey, the former Rockets General Manager who joined the Sixers last offseason to become the team's President of Basketball Operations, attempted to reunite with the former MVP in Philadelphia.

At the time, the Sixers were willing to move a package centered around Simmons to land Harden. However, the Rockets ultimately sent Harden packing to the Brooklyn Nets after receiving competitive offers from both teams.

Fast forward a year later and the Sixers pursued Harden once again. With Ben Simmons disgruntled and holding out while hoping for a trade, the Sixers looked to send him packing to Brooklyn as Harden grew disgruntled with his own situation.

Although the Nets were hesitant to talk shop with the Sixers at first, they became open to discussing a deal last Friday. Over the last couple of days, the Sixers and the Nets weren't close to getting something done. 

However, that all changed as the trade deadline inched closer. As the Nets understood that they had a slim chance to lock Harden in long-term in the offseason, they decided to cut ties with the star guard early and sent him packing to the Sixers.

Now, the Sixers are able to pair up a former MVP with an MVP-hopeful in Joel Embiid. Meanwhile, Ben Simmons gets the fresh start he desired while the Nets add a reliable three-point shooter in Seth Curry and a veteran big man in Andre Drummond. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.