A James Harden-Daryl Morey reunion in Philadelphia actually came a lot closer to happening than you might think.
Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer reported Friday that the 76ers thought that they had a deal for Harden done. Pompey adds that Morey, the Sixers' general manager, pushed hard to acquire the former MVP. The agents for Sixers youngsters Ben Simmons and Matisse Thybulle even informed their clients of an expected trade.
Harden instead ended up going to the Brooklyn Nets in a multi-team blockbuster. The trade ultimately sent guard Victor Oladipo, forward Rodions Kurucs and a large haul of picks back to the Rockets.
It does seem rather head-scratching on paper why the Rockets accepted a package based around Oladipo and Kurucs instead of a seemingly superior package headlined by Simmons and Thybulle. But as for why the trade with the Sixers ultimately fell through, we have a pretty good idea of that much.
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