James Harden traded from the Nets to the Sixers in a stunning blockbuster that shakes up the NBA championship race

• The Brooklyn Nets are trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers.
• The trade comes after reports that Harden had grown frustrated in Brooklyn and wanted out.

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to trade James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in a stunning NBA blockbuster.

According to reports from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Nets are sending Harden and Paul Millsap to the 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks.

It's a league-shaking development, one that could alter the NBA championship race and throws the future of the super-team Nets into doubt.

The Sixers now pair an elite ball-handler and scorer with Joel Embiid, who is posting an MVP-caliber season.

The Nets, meanwhile, break up the short-lived super-team trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden after they played just two regular-season games this season.

The trade also ends Simmons' staring contest with the 76ers. Simmons, a three-time All-Star, is yet to play this season after requesting a trade from the 76ers. He has been with the team, but has not played after telling the team he did not feel mentally prepared to take the court.

The move comes amid a sudden deterioration between the Nets and Harden. In January, reports surfaced that Harden had grown frustrated in Brooklyn and was increasingly eyeing free agency in the offseason. Harden has a $47 million player option for the 2022-23 season.

According to reports, Harden had grown frustrated with the circumstances in Brooklyn — from Kyrie Irving's part-time role, to frequent injuries that robbed the team of its talent and depth, to head coach Steve Nash's frequent lineup tinkering.

Meanwhile, reports indicated that the Sixers intended to pursue Harden in the offseason via a sign-and-trade. The Sixers are run by GM Daryl Morey, who oversaw Harden's tenure with the Houston Rockets.

On Thursday, the day of the NBA trade deadline, Wojnarowski reported that Harden wanted a trade to the 76ers, but was hesitant to officially ask for one out of fear of public backlash.

Despite the Nets insisting publicly that they wouldn't trade Harden, there was pressure to make a move now. Harden had the ability to hit free agency in the offseason and leave the Nets for nothing. While only a few teams have cap space this summer, others, like the Sixers, could have opened up cap space in the offseason to sign Harden outright.

Furthermore, Brooklyn was facing the possibility of keeping a disengaged Harden. The 9-time All-Star has not played amid hand and hamstring strains that had raised some eyebrows around the league, given the timing of the rumors around Harden's future. In Harden's last game with the Nets on February 2, he scored just 4 points on 2-of-11 shooting in a listless loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Nets, on a current nine-game skid, with Durant injured and Irving only available for road games, were at risk of watching team morale deplete over Harden's future.

Depsite trading an MVP-caliber player in Harden, the Nets made out well. Simmons is an elite ball-handler in his own right, and though he can't replace the shooting and scoring of Harden, he is an All-NBA defender who will strengthen the Nets' defense. The Nets also got Curry, one of the elite three-point shooters and a good emergency addition with sharpshooter Joe Harris ailing with an ankle injury that has kept him out since November.

Of course, the Nets' future hasn't gotten much clearer. Irving still cannot play home games due to his vaccination status. He can also become a free agent this coming summer.

Durant is inked to a four-year extension, but at 33, injuries have plagued him in recent seasons.

The Sixers surely got assurance that Simmons would suit up for them before making the deal, but his condition and impact remain to be seen. Simmons had a tumultuous postseason in 2021 in which he avoiding shooting the ball late in games. Comments from his teammates and head coaches helped inspire his trade request.

There is still much to be determined this NBA season, but the trade potentially puts the Nets and Sixers on a crash course to face off in the Eastern Conference playoffs.