The Sixers are “baking” the Simmons-Harden swap, the Nets seem to think

The Sixers seemed willing to not trade Ben Simmons and wait until the summer. However, as the trade deadline approached (10/2), “Athletic” dropped the bombshell: Philadelphia believes there is a way to get Simmons off the James Harden Nets on the last day of the exchange with a simple “gun”!

With the Nets going through a competitive crisis with seven straight losses — and Harden looking miserable — Brooklyn seems really open to that scenario for the first time, which until recently has been ruled out. And the reason is twofold.

In Brooklyn, there are initial concerns that Harden’s style of play will not match that of Kevin Durand and Kyrie Irving, as “Mousias” has long wanted to have the ball in his hands. This is of course relevant because…they haven’t seen their three stars on the floor for more than 15 games in 1.5 years due to injuries and Kairi Irving’s decision to remain unvaccinated.

In fact, the Nets’ big problem is that they fear losing Harden for… nothing in the summer. The All Star Guard has the right to get out of his contract – as does Irving. So since things aren’t going well in Brooklyn, the scenario of the departure shouldn’t be taken as extreme.

It’s clear, of course, that the Nets would never accept a simple swap between Simmons and Harden. They’d like some more from the Sixers, who appear willing to throw anyone or some of Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Taibull on the table. The latter has long been portrayed as close by the Sixers, however, with the prospect of a Harden takeover, things could potentially be simplified.

In any case, with the trade deadline approaching, the Sixers appear to be making a last-ditch effort to get rid of Simmons. Otherwise, they will wait until summer when they are expected to hunt Harden again.