In the last few months, the Brooklyn Nets have constantly been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. It all started with Kyrie Irving being unwilling to get vaccinated due to his beliefs.
This cost the team a chance at getting a good start and maintaining momentum during the beginning of the 2021-22 NBA season. For what it’s worth, Kevin Durant and James Harden were doing at least a satisfactory job with Kai by their side. But it was obvious that Harden’s entire heart wasn’t into playing for the Nets.
It was later confirmed when the Beard decided to demand a trade and leave the Nets to join their rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers. At the time, Harden was scorched by the fans for his decision.
But as time has passed since Harden’s decision, it has slowly started to make sense. Recently, Kyrie Irving was once again in the headlines for being at an impasse with the Nets regarding his new contract.
When most believed that Irving would leave the team after either opting out of his player option or via sign and trade, he shocked the fans. Yesterday, it was revealed that Kyrie has decided to opt in to his player option and will continue to be a part of the Nets’ roster.
This means that Kevin Durant will now stay with the team too and the Nets’ potential superteam won’t break up, at least for now. However, Kyrie’s shenanigans during his negotiations with the Nets have made fans believe Harden’s decision to leave the team was valid.
Redditor u/Square-Cauliflower-7 pointed this out in their recent Reddit post. NBA fans on Reddit agreed with the original poster and shared their point of view about the same as well.
KaiserKaiba: “He bailed on them for good reason.”
mountjo: “I really feel like this was an even trade for all parties involved (sorry you got stuck in brooklyn seth and andre, ya’ll did us well).”
BrokenManOfSamarkand: “The Beard handled his business professionally. He didn’t s**t talk anyone or cause any bad blood in the media. He extricated himself from those loonies in the best way he could lol.”
gentleriser: “This whole implosion has the ironic effect of making me cheer for Ben Simmons. Because if the roster of Simmons, remnants, and trade-salary filler (that comes in alongside picks in trades for KD and Kyrie) can win even one playoff game next year, it will be epic to say Ben did better without Durantics and Kyreasonable than they did without him.”
hurtelknut: “Everyone who thought Harden wasn’t in the right when he left Kyrie’s clown show needs to eat some crow.”
SwissKver: “They take every chance they get to say he quit on them when it was quite the opposite.”
Calibanite_Lion: “Yes, I agreed even then, let alone now. I feel sorry for KD, I really do. But at times I wonder if I should. He is a grown man, he chose this dude and remained loyal to him despite all the bs he was pulling.”
CaptainKurls: “Lot of people trash every move he’s made even though they’re all valid: OKC wouldn’t give him a max when he proved he was worthy of one the year after, he gave his prime to Houston and the owner was a cheapskate and an idiot, Nets..I mean we saw what happened with Kyrie dude is a headcase.”
spitz1674: “I always thought it was valid even as a Nets fan. I didn’t like that he pretended he was invested and staying but I get that’s what you have to do. Ultimately we made the best move we could. Kyrie is and always has been 95% of the teams problems. Even the one time he was playing well and not causing (as many) distractions he got injured in the playoffs where I fully believe the Nets cruise to a title if that doesn’t happen. Not his fault, but he still wasn’t there for them.”
ExtremelyMotivated1: “I mean, James Harden got major issues of his own to worry about. Is he washed? That’s a valid question, at this point. Time will tell.”
WhenItsHalfPastFive: “I have no idea how LeBron was able to win a title with Kyrie, and how Kyrie played that well in that finals. How has he not been able to replicate that level of consistency and greatness ever again?”
gabdex: “Correct, but was his method of leaving the team valid? Especially considering the route he chose to get there in the first place.”
It appears that most fans agree that Harden’s reason for leaving the Nets was valid. But at the same time, the way he forced his way out of the team wasn’t.
Anyway, as of now, it seems like KD and Kyrie have decided to give it another shot at trying to win a ring together. Unless Kyrie decides to ask for a trade to another team. Seeing his shenanigans over the last few years, he is perfectly capable of pulling something like this.
