NBA Trade Rumors: Ben Simmons may be surprisingly traded for a 9-time All-Star from Brooklyn Nets, says NBA insider

NBA and Philadelphia 76ers superstar Ben Simmons and the drama surrounding his potential trade from the franchise might have come to its conclusion. The 76ers are aiming for Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden in return.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Philadelphia 76ers are willing to wait till the summer in order to land a deal with the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden and use Ben Simmons as part of that trade.

Charania said:

"With the NBA trade deadline just over two weeks away, rival teams interested in three-time All-Star Ben Simmons believe Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey has his sights set on a bigger target in the summertime: Brooklyn Nets star James Harden."

He continued:

"But multiple sources, including people with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking and also from rival teams involved on the Simmons front, tell The Athletic that the 76ers are believed to prefer to wait in order to pursue Harden or another superstar in the offseason and thus want to save Simmons for that potential sign-and-trade rather than take what’s available on the current market."

The Philadelphia 76ers are willing to wait until the summer unless another team improves their offer tremendously.

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Would a Ben Simmons-James Harden trade work?

Ben Simmons guarding James Harden

A trade between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers for James Harden and Ben Simmons is a scenario where both the teams could walk away happy and content with the business they've just done. Both teams are getting bonafide All-Star caliber players who are seemingly the perfect fit for their respective franchises.

Ben Simmons would tremendously improve the defensive frailties of the Brooklyn Nets. The Australian is somebody who can guard all five positions seamlessly and when last seen, he was arguably the best defensive player in the league with his 6'11 frame. The Nets are currently ranked 16th in the league in terms of defensive ratings and adding Simmons would exponentially improve that.

Simmons can also be a quintessential point guard who can be a floor general and orchestrate the offense for the Nets. Meanwhile, the scoring burden can rest on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

Acquiring someone of the caliber of James Harden would immediately put the 76ers as genuine contenders for the championship. The lack of shooting from Simmons is a big reason why the 76ers are willing to trade him and Harden is a prolific shooter.

The duo of Harden and Embiid could wreak havoc in the league. Their ability to play the one-two punch would be a lot like Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant did for the Lakers, which culminated in a three-peat. Harden is also a big favorite of the 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and his best basketball came under Morey for the Houston Rockets.

With all that said, if the deal does go through, then we could be in for an intriguing Eastern Conference postseason matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers.