James Harden traded for Ben Simmons in blockbuster Nets-76ers deal

The deal everyone had been talking about heading into Thursday’s NBA trade deadline has been completed.

The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a blockbuster trade that will see James Harden and Ben Simmons swap teams. The megadeal was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provided more details. The Sixers have also agreed to send Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round draft picks to Brooklyn. Paul Millsap is headed to Philly.

The Nets are including Paul Millsap in the deal too, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/yTzxKqH99q

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 10, 2022

A report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Wednesday claimed the Sixers and Nets were making significant progress on a Harden-Simmons trade. Windhorst even went as far as to predict the trade would get done. Wojnarowski was far less certain, as he reported around the same time that there were no negotiations taking place between Philadelphia and Brooklyn.

Both Simmons and Harden wanted to be traded. Simmons had made that known since the offseason, while Harden never publicly requested a trade. He had a very specific reason for not wanting to make a fuss about the situation.

Simmons has not played this season after he committed to never suiting up for Philly again. It’s unclear how quickly he will join the lineup in Brooklyn.

Photo: Feb 1, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden (13) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports