Buy or Sell Latest NBA Rumors: Is James Harden a Flight Risk for Nets?

Another day, another batch of NBA rumors that adds an umpteenth wrinkle to the Ben Simmons trade sweepstakes—or, perhaps, lack thereof.Sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick that suitors talking shop with the Philadelphia 76ers think team president Daryl Morey "has his sights set on a bigger target in the summertime: Brooklyn Nets star James Harden." This comes on the heels of NBA reporter Marc Stein noting last week that Philly could hold on to Simmons past the deadline amid "noise circulating leaguewide about Harden's reported openness to relocation this summer."But wait: It gets better. It depends on which team owns your allegiances.The Sixers' interest in exploring the Harden scenario is so intense that, according to Charania and Amick, they're willing to keep Simmons and the empty $33 million roster spot he amounts to rather than risk compromising potential superstar trade packages over the offseason.Should the Nets really be concerned about Harden spurning them for Philly? The Sabonis fit is wonky—and, if we're being honest, doesn't make sense for anyone—but they all provide the Sixers with fringe star-and-better help in advance of the postseason, at a time when Joel Embiid is playing the best basketball of his career.Opponents of Philly's strategy (and recycled Simmons rumors) will harp on the urgency of the team's window. As Bryan Toporek expertly outlined for Forbes, the Sixers can sign-and-trade for him while staying under the hard cap without needing to offload Tobias Harris, but the math is tight and essentially erases the flexibility to do, like, literally anything else unless Harden opts in and delays his extension.Potentially unpopular opinion: The Sixers can't afford to care.Simmons represents their best crack at landing a legitimate co-star for Embiid, someone who nudges their championship needle as convincingly as Jimmy Butler once did. Jeopardizing the next three-plus years of it by settling on a sub-ideal return for your best trade asset stands to be even worse.The Sixers also aren't Harden-or-bust if they keep Simmons past the deadline. The Sixers are still smart to remain ultraselective, if only because there isn't a single prospective package that should vanish from view over the offseason.Verdict: Buy the Sixers holding out for a proven star in Simmons talks.Sources told Charania and Amick the Hornets are "among new teams placing a [Ben] Simmons inquiry" while noting "nothing substantive" has materialized between the two sides. But its best package doesn't satisfy the Sixers' current demands or properly set them up for another star trade.Verdict: Sell Charlotte as a potential Simmons destination.In a follow-up to his report from last week, Stein adds that the Houston Rockets would intend to buy out Russell Westbrook if the Lakers sent them a first-round pick to take on his contract. They don't. For all he's doing this season, Gordon will still be going on 34 with a history of health issues entering next year, and his $19.6 million salary isn't exactly an afterthought investment.Make no mistake: Houston won't have a problem rerouting him over the summer.