When James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in January of 2021, they instantly became one of, if not the favorites to win the championship. Just a year later though, he wanted out from the Nets and was heavily criticized for it.
He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and Harden now gets to face his old team in the playoffs. The team he left and the one he faces now are quite different, as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant have also left, and Harden believes it shows he was right in wanting to leave.
“There’s a lot of internal things that was going on which was one of the reasons why I made my decision. And everybody talked down on me & gave me negative feedback…But now fast forward today, nobody’s like, okay, James was smart.”
James Harden on his #Nets exit: "There's a lot of internal things that was going on which was one of the reasons why I made my decision. And everybody talked down on me & gave me negative feedback…But now fast forward today, nobody's like, okay, James was smart." #76ers #Sixers
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) April 14, 2023
This is hardly the first time that Harden has come out and defended his decision. After Durant and Irving were traded, he stated that he no longer looks like the crazy one for wanting to leave and that he isn’t the quitter that the media had painted him to be.
The Nets were just too dysfunctional during his time there and there was too much off-the-court drama that Harden wanted no part of. Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated was reported to be something Harden had an issue with and he reportedly butted heads with Durant numerous times as well. The Nets’ problems continued even after his departure, which is what led to their other stars also wanting out, and it is clear he made the right decision last year.
James Harden Spoke On The Dynsfunctial Big 3 Era In Brooklyn
The Big 3 for the Nets ultimately played just 16 games together for various reasons but they had an impressive 13-3 record in that time. They are one of the bigger what-ifs in recent NBA history as one can only wonder what they could have achieved if not for all the off-the-court issues.
Harden, who finished his Nets tenure with averages of 23.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 10.5 APG, and 1.3 SPG, said there was just way too much dysfunction, however, for things to ever work out and that led to him wanting out. He is a lot happier about his situation in Philadelphia and will be hoping to finally get his hands on that elusive championship.
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