Sixers Looked Into Bradley Beal Before Acquiring James Harden

Before the Feb. 10 trade deadline, the Philadelphia 76ers had to figure out what to do with the Ben Simmons situation. The Sixers were looking everywhere to try to find the right avenues to help the team move back into contention.

Eventually, the Sixers swung a huge deal with the Brooklyn Nets to go get James Harden while sending Simmons to New York. However, before they made that deal, there were other options available and the Sixers were looking into and one of those options turned out to be Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium:

The 76ers did their due diligence with the Wizards on Beal throughout the season, but many across the NBA say it was much more than that. Multiple sources said the 76ers worked during the season on a potential trade. Beal faced a decision on whether to force a trade out of Washington and Philadelphia had prominent interest at the deadline if he was cleared to play from his wrist injury. The 76ers’ package would have been centered around Simmons and draft picks, sources said. Several teams beyond Philadelphia would have engaged should the Wizards have opened conversations, but that never happened. Beal ultimately did not request a trade, and underwent season-ending wrist surgery on Feb. 10, the day of the deadline.

Beal would have been a very good addition at 23.2 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.7 rebounds and he is a guy who can do the same things Harden can while still being in his 20s. Some believe the Sixers will still go after Beal in the offseason–such as former champion Andrew Bogut–so it will be interesting to see if this leads into anything in the summer.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!