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Never expected

The Nets traded Harden to the 76ers in exchange for Simmons Curry Jr. and draft picks

On February 11, according to Shams, the Nets traded James Harden to the 76ers in exchange for chips such as Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and draft picks.

According to ESPN's follow-up report, the 76ers' chips are Simmons, Curry Jr., Andre Drummond and 2 first-rounders.

According to additional reports, the Nets also sent Paul Millsap to the 76ers in the trade.

The two first-round picks from the 76ers were the 2022 first-round picks (unprotected, but the Nets have the right to change this first-round pick to 2023), and the 2027 protected first-round picks, which were protected for two consecutive years with 1-8 picks, which translated into two second-round picks and $2 million in cash if still protected in 2029.

Harden has been seeking a trade from the Nets for the past few weeks, and the rumors of a departure between Simmons and the 76ers can even be traced back to July 2021, according to reports.

Before completing the deal, the 76ers and the Nets had a bargain over whether to put Matisse Sable in the trade, but in the end Sable was not included in the deal.

The 76ers bid on Harden with the Nets when the Rockets applied for a trade in January 2021, but the Nets won Harden at that time.

Harden has player options this offseason to step out and become a free agent with a new five-year contract worth $269 million, and the Nets realized that Harden was likely to go to the 76ers as a free agent this summer, so they took the initiative to complete the deal.

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