Heading into this past weekend, the buzz around the NBA - from fans to front offices - was about a possible James Harden-for-Ben Simmons swap by Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.
A report from The Athletic's Shams Charania made the Nets sound relatively open for business, and talks seemed imminent.
Fast-forward to Monday morning and the trade sounds highly unlikely.
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A pair of new reports from NBA insiders on Monday paint the state of discussions between the Sixers and Nets not so much as far apart as simply non-existent, which would certainly make a trade difficult to complete.
One report comes from ESPN super-insider Adrian Wojnarowski and fellow ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne, both of whom reported that Nets general manager Sean Marks turned away Daryl Morey's first attempt at figuring out a Harden trade... a month ago:
"That exchange four weeks ago represents the single, direct communication between Morey and Marks this season, sources told ESPN. However brief the conversation, messages were delivered in each direction: The Sixers planned a pursuit of Harden, and the Nets had no intention of surrender.
NBA
"With three days to go until the trade deadline, this is where the dialogue has remained. Yes, Morey could still pick up the phone and call Marks this week. The Sixers' ownership group have a strong relationship with Nets owner Joe Tsai, so communication can happen on that level, too."
Not talking for a month about the trade that could completely shake up the NBA? Cool, got it.
This is not a trade that's happening anytime soon. These kinds of blockbuster deals, with so many moving parts and high-stakes decisions, rarely come together in the heat of the moment. Unless something truly crazy happens, you'll want to temper your expectations.
And that goes doubly after Bleacher Report insider Jake Fischer reported much of the same:
"As Nets head coach Steve Nash emphatically told reporters Sunday, Brooklyn leadership has shown zero inclination to move James Harden prior to Thursday's trade deadline—for Ben Simmons or any rival package.
"Neither the Philadelphia 76ers nor any team have even contacted the Nets front office regarding a Harden blockbuster, sources told B/R. There have been no negotiations, no offers, not even a framework discussed."
Great.
What happened here? How did things change so fast? Here's my guess.
I don't think the Nets want to trade Harden before the deadline. They know they could lose him this offseason, but the incentive to move via sign-and-trade for maximum money means they'll at least get something back for him leaving town. They're more interested in seeing what their Big Three can do in the postseason at least once before blowing it up. When Kevin Durant returns from his sprained MCL, and Harden shrugs off this current hamstring problem, Brooklyn will have enough to talent for a theoretical Finals run - if they all stay healthy, which is a big "if".
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I do, however, think that the Nets have been watching Tyrese Maxey closely and would love to have him in Brooklyn. He's been balling all year, but particularly lately. I have a feeling Marks and the Nets wanted to apply some public pressure by floating the idea that they'd be willing to chat, because they'd love to try and extract Maxey from Philadelphia. But reports emerged over the weekend of Morey's unwillingness to trade Maxey under any circumstances - almost immediately after the rumblings of the Nets' openness to talking, in fact! - as a counter-punch. Morey would also like to chat about Harden, but he's not shipping Maxey out. It's not happening.
So after a mini rumor frenzy, we return to where we were before Friday's bombshell buzz: Simmons is probably staying on the Sixers' roster post-trade deadline. It stinks because the Sixers have talent, Joel Embiid is the best basketball player in the world right now, and the East is wide open. This feels like wasting a prime shot at a Finals run.
Maybe something changes drastically before Thursday. But right now, it doesn't sound like this year's trade deadline will bring the fireworks Sixers fans have been waiting for.