Thursday’s NBA trade deadline is less than 30 hours away and despite his best efforts, Ben Simmons remains a Sixer.

Will Simmons still be one at 3 p.m on Thursday? That depends who you listen to. Those answers vary from “certainly not” to “probably not” to “well, maybe.”

Ultimately, it will come down to what Brooklyn Nets star James Harden wants. If Harden, who has a $47.4 million player option for next season, does not want to play for the Nets, the team needs to trade him or get nothing in return. If Harden does want to stay, the Nets would be happy to keep him and continue to build around him and Kevin Durant. But what does Harden want?

David Murphy talks himself through every angle of the situation to try and determine whether Simmons will be traded for Harden before Thursday’s deadline or not.There’s a number of reasons it could still go either way.— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysportWould James Harden and Joel Embiid be a 1-2 tandem capable of leading the Sixers to an NBA title? Why or why not? Tell us at [email protected].Off the DribbleJoel Embiid can’t count how many teammates he has played with since joining the 76ers in the 2014 NBA draft. In fact, only six players — including Embiid and Ben Simmons — remain on the roster from the 2019-20 season.Embiid discussed the business side of the NBA with the trade deadline right around the corner, Keith Pompey reports. “Oh, it’s been crazy,” Embiid said. “I mean, I came [in] my first year, I probably had freaking 100 teammates. They just kept coming and going.”

With the Sixers and Simmons at the center of this week’s rumors, more changes could be on the way for Embiid, who’s obviously safe from any potential trade.

On the floor, the Sixers went toe-to-toe with one of the NBA’s elite teams, the Phoenix Suns, but ultimately came up short in a 114-109 defeat. Embiid and Tobias Harris combined for 64 points and 19 rebounds, but Philly native and former Villanova Wildcat Mikal Bridges (23 points) and the Suns got the last laugh.