As the Philadelphia 76ers try to find a team on which to offload Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets and James Harden increasingly have been in the conversation.
If that doesn’t pan out, though, they reportedly have a shortlist of others they might target — and Jaylen Brown is among them.
It’s no sure thing Harden stays with the Nets long-term, which could make the 76ers a reasonable landing spot since they have the ability to make a blockbuster trade with Brooklyn.
For myriad reasons, it might not work. And according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Sixers have three other players they’d consider targeting if they can’t get Harden.
“For his part, Harden has focused on the Nets’ championship aspirations this season,” Charania wrote Monday. “It’s unclear how he sees the prospect of playing in Philadelphia – or with (Joel) Embiid – but all indications are that the Sixers truly believe they have a chance of landing him. If they can’t land Harden, of course, they’ll continue pursuing the likes of Portland’s Damian Lillard, Washington’s Bradley Beal or Boston’s Jaylen Brown.”
Of course, the Celtics would have to be interested in even trading Brown (presumably for Simmons), and that seems highly unlikely. Right or wrong, Brad Stevens seems intent on keeping Brown as Jayson Tatum’s running mate, and trading Brown would fly in the face of the Celtics’ reported efforts to add a third star.
This could all just be posturing from Philly’s side in an effort to drum up interest, so this hardly is an indication the Celtics are amenable to a Brown-76ers swap. Still, it could mean that Stevens might have to block Daryl Morey’s number for a little bit.
