Report: Nets Trade James Harden to 76ers for Ben Simmons & Seth Curry

The Eastern Conference is heading for a major shakeup.

The Brooklyn Nets have reportedly traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons and Seth Curry, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Brooklyn Nets are trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2022

It's a conference-altering deal that will immediately make the 76ers and Nets among the favorites to win the East.

Harden had requested to be traded heading into the trade deadline out of frustration with the way things were going in Brooklyn. Kyrie Irving has continued to be a part-time player due to his vaccine status and Harden was being asked to shoulder a sizeable share of the offensive load.

The deal will allow Harden to re-join 76ers president Daryl Morey who acquired Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2012 when Morey was the general manager of the Houston Rockets.

Simmons, who has not played this season due to frustrations with the 76ers organization, is now expected to return to the court for the Nets and play alongside Kevin Durant and Irving. He adds a defense-first piece to a Brooklyn team that, when healthy, is an offensive juggernaut.

The 76ers will also send Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to the Nets for Harden and Paul Milsap.

The deal certainly isn't good news for Toronto who had just jumped ahead of the Nets during their recent slide. Both Brooklyn and Philadelphia are projected to get better following the deal, making a tough Eastern Conference even more difficult.

Further Reading