The Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets engaged in trade talks centered on Ben Simmons for James Harden and “bickered over pieces to add to a potential deal,” multiple sources tell Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The 76ers are confident they can acquire Harden in the offseason if they do not trade for him by Thursday.
The salary cap for next season is $121 million and the Sixers currently have an active roster cap hit of $150 million for the 2022-23 campaign. The Sixers would need to shed $76 million in order to offer Harden the $47 million he would lose by leaving Brooklyn.
The Nets have publicly postured that they want to keep Harden for the remainder of the season, but sources say they’re split privately. Some want to trade him now thinking that he has quit on the team.