Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey quashed the notion he would include All-Star Ben Simmons in any James Harden deal.
The 76ers were rumored to have made Simmons “available in some packages with the Houston Rockets for James Harden,” according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, who was the first to report the information on Thursday. Moments later, Morey told Charania himself: “We are not trading Ben Simmons — he is an important part of our future.”
Harden, the 2017-18 NBA Most Valuable Player who averaged about 35 points per game over each of the past two seasons, has continued his campaign to orchestrate a trade out of Houston. He initially requested a trade specifically to the Nets, but those negotiations never gained traction, and Harden subsequently expanded his list of destinations to include the 76ers and other contenders.
Simmons was named an Eastern Conference All-Star each of the past two seasons. Despite deficiencies shooting the ball, Simmons became a premier two-way play-maker. Last season, he led the league in steals and made NBA First Team All-Defense.
The Rockets’ demand in any Harden trade, according to ESPN, is an “All-Star/All-NBA level player in return, as well as a treasure trove of draft assets and young prospects.”
The Sixers don’t want to pay — at least not with Simmons
