The tables have turned since the Houston Rockets and general manager Rafael Stone were mocked by many in early 2021 for what they viewed at the time as an underwhelming trade return for James Harden.
Today, barely more than a calendar year later, the relationship and fit between the superstar guard and his new team, the Nets, has soured to the point that Brooklyn is now reportedly open to trading Harden to Philadelphia by the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
Since Harden can become a free agent this offseason, there’s incentive for the Nets to explore opportunities to extract some value — such as a trade package headlined by disgruntled 76ers star Ben Simmons — rather than risk losing him for no compensation in free agency.
