Ben Simmons Rumors: 76ers Want James Harden or Another Star; Prefer Offseason Trade

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The Philadelphia 76ers will be played on January 24, 2022.

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Philadelphia 76ers team president Daryl Morey is not giving up on his pursuit of James Harden.

According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Philadelphia 76ers prefer to keep Ben Simmons past the NBA's Feb. 10 trade deadline rather than take what's available on the current market.

Harden is Morey's hope that he will become available this summer.

Simmons was offered as part of a package for Harden last season. Harden was sent to Brooklyn as part of a four-team trade, a decision that set the stage for Simmons' current standoff with the 76ers.

Simmons has yet to play in a game this season due to mental health concerns. Simmons has been heavily fined by the 76ers. Simmons wants to sit out the entire season if he isn't traded by the deadline.

Morey has been shopping the league for trades but hasn't found a deal that meshes with his desire to pair Embiid with another star. Simmons' continued absence has made other teams stick to their lowball offers, leading to an impasse that looks like it will continue into the summer.

Morey said on the Mike Missanelli Show that they would like a win-win trade. We would like to do a trade that helps the 76ers by the February 10 deadline so that Ben can focus on what he wants to do. If there isn't a trade, we'll see if this foundation can help us work through things.

Morey can continue trade talks into the summer if necessary.
Morey and Harden were teammates with the Houston Rockets. It's possible Morey is reading the tea leaves of Harden not signing a contract extension with the Nets and hoping there's a workable sign-and-trade agreement to be made during the summer.

Harden has a player option for 2022-23 and is likely to opt out in hopes of landing a long-term contract that could pay him $50 million per year.