The Philadelphia 76ers held serious conversations with the Houston Rockets centered on a trade of Ben Simmons for James Harden, but ultimately decided not to complete a deal and let him go to the Brooklyn Nets.

"I think I can say this on your podcast," said Ramona Shelburne. "I think it will be okay. I'm not betraying a confidence. I think the 76ers are just fine. They're happy.

"Like, they were intrigued by this idea. Obviously, Daryl Morey knows how good James Harden is. I think they were really intrigued by the idea of what James Harden would do for Joel Embiid. We'll never know. We're never going to know what that would have been.

"But they really had been playing well with Joel and Ben Simmons. I talked to Joel Embiid just a couple days ago and he was really talking up Ben Simmons and how much they've gotten along this year. They really have connected this year. Now, we get to see what actually happens with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons."