James Harden Doesn't Know What to Expect in Return to Brooklyn

Just last season, the Brooklyn Nets employed one of the NBA’s most prominent trios in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden. Fast forward to February of 2023, and every one of those players is sporting a new jersey.

James Harden was the first to start the trend when he forced his way out of Brooklyn last season to land with the Philadelphia 76ers. Last week, Kyrie Irving was the second domino to fall as he forced his way to the Dallas Mavericks.

Then just two days ago, Kevin Durant was dished out to the Phoenix Suns. At the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season, February 11 was circled on NBA fans’ calendars as it marked the first time James Harden would play in Brooklyn since the trade happened one year ago.

Many probably anticipated a high-stakes matchup between the star duo of Joel Embiid and Harden going against Irving and Durant. While the Sixers employ the same star duo, the Nets will look entirely different on Saturday compared to the last time the Sixers faced them.

Harden more than likely wouldn’t have added any more hype and attention to Saturday’s game with his words, even if Irving and Durant were playing, but the star guard really isn’t looking at his return to Brooklyn as anymore more than it needs to be either way.

“I don’t know,” said Harden when asked about what he thinks his return is going to be like. “I’m there for one reason and one reason only… to win a basketball game.”

Harden probably won’t be received well in Brooklyn, considering the way everything ended last year, but the attention will quickly come off of him and be re-focused on Brooklyn’s new-look group.

The Sixers and the Nets are set to tip off in Brooklyn at 6 PM.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.