James Harden and Kevin Durant were supposed to do great things together on the Brooklyn Nets this season alongside Kyrie Irving. However, with injuries and off-field controversies taking their toll, that particular superteam was broken up at the trade deadline, with Harden going to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that netted them Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond.
The understanding when Harden left was that he still had it in him to perform at an elite level and that his failure to get along with Kyrie Irving had been among the main reasons he no longer felt like staying with Brooklyn. In a recent report from ESPN, it has come to light that things weren’t so good between Kevin Durant and James Harden either.
“Sources say that much of the discontent between Harden and the Nets started in September when he arrived into training camp out of shape,” Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN reported. “Durant had been understanding of Harden’s predicament in Houston as a man in need of new scenery, but also tacitly expected his former teammate to commit himself to conditioning and self-care when he came seeking a title in Brooklyn, according to a source close to both stars.
“With [Kyrie] Irving’s status already in flux due to his unwillingness to get vaccinated, Durant was astonished in the opening weeks of the season at Harden’s lack of explosiveness and sluggish play, something he attributed in large part to Harden’s being out of shape, as he did the ensuing hamstring issues.
“Harden, sources say, found Durant’s slant grating and self-righteous. The two never resolved the conflict, and there was little that teammates, coach Steve Nash or [Sean] Marks could do to mediate it. With each passing week, Harden became more isolated, with staff and teammates increasingly frustrated by the static. The Nets ultimately excised him from the locker room in a blockbuster trade deadline deal with Philadelphia for Ben Simmons.”
Harden may not have liked it, but his game has only gotten worse since he started playing with the Sixers. James has been bad enough to have fans and the media asking themselves if he is actually past his prime. While Nets fans may have felt very bad about their Big 3 not working out, perhaps a move away was for the best for all parties involved after all.
