James Harden was presented as a new member of the Philadelphia 76ers this Tuesday, making some interesting comments about his time in Brooklyn, and how things changed for him in the past couple of weeks.
He’s now a Sixer, but many people want to know the details about his move to the City of Brotherly Love. Besides his reported communication issues with Kevin Durant, many folks think Kyrie Irving’s situation was a catalyst for Harden’s trade.
Harden was asked about this during his introductory press conference, shutting down the notion that he was mad at Kyrie Irving for not getting the covid-19 shot. The Beard said that he’s still good friends with Kyrie and he respects his decision.
However, James did admit that Irving’s absence hurt the team’s chances to win more games, as he, KD and Irving were expected to take over the league.
“Very minimal. Honestly, me and Kyrie are really good friends. Whatever he was going through and still going through, that’s his personal preference.”
“But he did impact the team because me, Kyrie, and KD on the court and winning covers up a lot of that stuff. It was unfortunate that we played 16 games out of whatever it was, but it is what it is. Here in Philly is an opportunity that I’m looking forward to.”
Did Kyrie Irving's situation impact James Harden's desire to leave the Nets? pic.twitter.com/5fdZxXTheF
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) February 15, 2022
Even though Kyrie, Durant and now Harden clarified that there’s no issue between them, a lot of people will read too much into this and state that Harden sent a message to his former teammates. That’s part of the past now, as the Beard gets ready to face a new challenge with the Celtics.
He’s teaming up with Joel Embiid trying to win that elusive NBA championship, but the job won’t be easy. The Eastern Conference is stacked and not only the Nets but Bucks, Bulls, Heat and Cavaliers will try everything to stop the Sixers in the playoffs.
