The Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets had serious discussions on a trade centered on Ben Simmons for James Harden before a deal with the Brooklyn Nets was eventually reached.

"Ben Simmons was absolutely on the table," said Tim MacMahon.

"I can add something here," said Brian Windhorst. "In speaking to individuals with knowledge, Ben Simmons was prepared to be traded today. I don't know if I can say expected to be traded, but was prepared to be traded. Was ready to be traded. They never told him he was going to be traded."

The Rockets have long been believed to have preferred a trade for Simmons over a package from the Nets, which may have forced Brooklyn to send such a wealth of draft compensation. 

"There was a moment today when Philadelphia had to decide 'are we taking James Harden or not?'" said Windhorst. "My suspicion is they just passed and allowed the Brooklyn deal to happen."

MacMahon added that there was a lack of consensus within the 76ers on whether to trade Simmons for Harden in the first place.

"Somebody close to Ben just texted me and said he's very happy that he didn't get traded," said Marc Spears. "He wants to be in Philly. He believes they can win a championship there."

Spears and MacMahon both indicated that Doc Rivers likely wanted to keep Simmons.