Yesterday’s NBA trade deadline day was one of the most memorable in recent memory. A lot of major trades went down on the day, but without a doubt, the biggest trade was the one that sent James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and 2 first-round draft picks.
Harden’s trade has certainly caused friction, as Kevin Durant refused to pick him during the NBA All-Star draft, something fans made fun of online. But it appears Durant seems to be satisfied with the trade, as he told the Inside The NBA panel when they asked him about it.
https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1491919574672965632
“I’m excited for our team, looking forward to finishing the season out with these new group and players. Playoffs right around the corner, we gotta fast track in getting use to each other. But I’m excited. You know, I think everybody got what they wanted.”
Durant must have felt some degree of anger over Harden’s departure, given how close the two were. The Nets big three was a dominant group but rarely played together, only playing 16 games together during their year together. But their main goal was to win an NBA championship, something they failed to do.
It was reported that Kyrie Irving had issues with James Harden, which led to Harden’s departure. But Kyrie came out recently and denied those rumors, suggesting that the media was trying to push a narrative that did not exist. Regardless of what Irving says, there were clearly some issues for Harden in Brooklyn that caused him to leave the franchise.
Going forward, the Nets will be looking forward to winning a championship with their new big three of Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving. Rich Paul, Simmons’ agent, recently revealed that Simmons had spoken to Durant about teaming up together, and how they will play together.
