NBA Insider/Analyst Jordan Schultz says if it was up to James Harden, “he would want to be a Philadelphia 76er.”
The NBA's trade deadline has finally arrived, and the Sixers' pursuit of James Harden has officially reached critical levels.
ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday morning that Harden wants to be dealt to the Sixers before Thursday's 3 p.m. deadline. It's clear the Sixers want to make the move and send Ben Simmons to Brooklyn.
And while Harden hasn't formally requested a trade after playing just 88 games for the Nets, the fact that he wants out from a team he forced his way to less than two years ago - and a team that has one of his better friends in the league on the roster - is certainly raising eyebrows around the NBA.
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Two of those eyebrows, it seems, belong to that friend in question: Kevin Durant.
Durant, basketball's most notable social media user, was spotted hitting "like" on an Instagram post Thursday morning that directly referenced Harden's desire to leave the Nets and play elsewhere:
KEVIN. Buddy. Pal. Stop playing games. What does this mean? You have to tell us now.
It could mean anything, really.
- This could be Durant acknowledging that a trade is coming down the pike, and hitting "like" because he knows what's about to unfold.
- This could be Durant being passive-aggressive and keeping receipts on Harden's desire to quit on the Nets after such a short time in Brooklyn.
- This could be Durant admitting that Harden was sold a false bill of goods when he forced his way to the Nets, thanks in large part to Kyrie Irving's shenanigans.
Or it could be nothing at all! Just a basketball mega-star, one of the greatest scorers in the history of the game, smacking that double-tap as he doomscrolls on trade deadline morning.
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But I really think it means something. Durant is too savvy, and knows all too well that the Internet's eyeballs are squarely trained on his activity, to do something like this and not expect anyone to notice. It's almost begging to be noticed.
The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 p.m. It sounds like the Sixers and Nets might actually pull this deal off. We'll see.
