The interest from the Brooklyn Nets in Ben Simmons dates back to when the Philadelphia 76ers made him available in a trade for James Harden with the Houston Rockets at the start of the 20-21 season.

"Another little tidbit to bolster my first fake conspiracy theory is that I've heard, and I think this is accurate, that the Nets.. so Harden said 'I wanted the Sixers originally when I got traded to the Nets' I'm pretty confident when that first started happening, the Nets were interested in Ben Simmons," said Zach Lowe on his podcast. "They obviously preferred Harden and chose Harden. They would have been happy to get Simmons as the outcome of a three-team trade. So here we are."

After the situation with Harden became untenable leading to the 2022 trade deadline, the Nets acquired Simmons along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first round picks. When the Nets traded for Harden, they sent out Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert as well as first round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026 plus pick swaps in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2027.

During Harden's introductory press conference in Philadelphia, Daryl Morey referenced the possibility of a three-team trade last season and that it would have been the best outcome for all parties.