From being one of the favorites to winning the NBA Championship to dropping to the middle of the pack, it sums up the Brooklyn Nets’ 2021-22 season. After creating the superteam of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, many felt like another dynasty was on the way.
Well, that has not been the case for the Nets for various reasons. At the start of the season, Kyrie’s unwillingness to get vaccinated ruled him out indefinitely. After Irving returned to play for the Nets, albeit in just home games, KD got injured.
While Brooklyn struggled to deal with these issues, Harden’s issues were pushed to the back burner. He has been rumored to leave the team ever since the offseason. The reason for the rumor was the fact that the Beard refused to sign a long-term extension with the franchise at the time.
Although he claimed that he will do it at the end of the season, it didn’t sit well with the fans. To make things worse, it was recently reported by renowned NBA insider Shams Charania that the Nets have apparently agreed to a trade offer from the 76ers for Harden.
Via The Athletic:
“With the NBA trade deadline just days away on Feb. 10, the 76ers are expected to pursue Harden in the coming days and the Nets are believed to be open to discussing a deal, sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic. There’s expectation that both the 76ers and Nets will engage in dialogue on a deal around Simmons for Harden this week, multiple sources say, with Philadelphia holding a chest of role players in Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle that could sweeten a potential package. Still, there’s no urgency for Nets officials, who have had the steadfast belief that the current core, as is, has the means necessary for a championship. However, it’s believed that an opening exists should an offer elevate the team and make the roster more well-rounded as the franchise pursues a championship.”
Charania is definitely one of the most trusted insiders in the NBA. So if he has reported that there is a possibility of the 76ers and the Nets swapping Harden and Ben Simmons, there must be some truth to it.
Moreover, Harden’s behavior towards his teammates has changed as well. Reportedly the former MVP shut down a players-only meeting because he was fed up with just endless talking this season.
The NBA trade deadline is February 10, 2022, so there are still a few days left for the two sides to figure out a good deal. But one thing is certain, in order to get Harden, the 76ers have to at least let go of a few players along with Simmons.
