While there is clearly some smoke around a potential Ben Simmons for James Harden trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, it remains a murky situation. 

"People are saying one thing to one person and saying something completely different to someone else," a source told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I get the impression that that's epitome of the entire situation on all fronts. I get the impression that they want Ben and they know the Harden thing is coming to an end and it's not working anyway. There's a sense that Simmons could be the lesser of two evils."

There have been conflicting reports about Brooklyn's interest in making a deal, however. 

On Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that the Nets "are believed to be open to discussing a deal" with the 76ers and that there was the "expectation" the two teams would "engage in dialogue on a deal around Simmons for Harden."

But ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported on Monday that the two teams haven't had any dialogue on a potential Harden trade since early January, when Nets general manager Sean Marks told Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey that Brooklyn had no interest in dealing the star guard. 

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer also reported Monday that "neither the 76ers nor any team have even contacted the Nets front office regarding a Harden blockbuster, sources told B/R. There have been no negotiations, no offers, not even a framework discussed. Some Brooklyn figures have openly mentioned their interest in swapping Harden for Simmons, sources said."

And Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters Sunday that the Nets weren't dealing Harden:

Coaches and executives alike have denied that a player would be traded or that a team was pursuing a player in the past, only for deals to go through days or weeks later. It's the nature of the business. 

And the Nets are undoubtedly going through rough times. The team has lost eight straight games, Kevin Durant is recovering from an MCL injury, and Kyrie Irving's refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccine means he can't play in home games. As it stands, the 29-24 Nets are seventh in the East, a far cry from the contenders they were expected to be. 

But it also wouldn't be surprising if the Nets tried to wait for Durant to get healthy to right the ship. The trio of Durant, Harden and Irving has played only 16 games together over the past two seasons. Brooklyn appears to believe this group has unrealized potential, and a lengthy period having them together on the court could lead to a title. 

The counterargument is that if Harden is unhappy and has decided that he wants to leave this offseason, why delay the inevitable? Why not extract the highest price possible from the Sixers now rather than hope to get a solid deal in a sign-and-trade over the summer while risking the possibility of losing Harden for nothing in free agency?

The Nets have a few days left to weigh their options. The latest reporting would indicate that they are leaning toward standing pat and giving this group at least one more chance to make it work. But a lot can change quickly in the NBA.