Kyrie Irving Shares Untold Story On James Harden-Ben Simmons Trade

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving reveals the story on the James Harden, Ben Simmons trade during his Brooklyn Nets tenure

Jan 21, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) drives against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) during the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

With the new CBA in place, creating super teams in the NBA has become a lot harder. You can argue that the Oklahoma City Thunder have created one, especially with their trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren. However, they are an exception to the rule, given they either traded for or drafted all three of them before their value skyrocketed.

However, many super teams have failed, such as the Brooklyn Nets trio of James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant. Whether it was injuries or other stuff off the court, they never reached their full potential. Harden was the first to leave the trio, being traded for Ben Simmons. Looking back on it, Irving recently shared the harsh truth on how that trade went down.

Kyrie on the Nets trading Harden for Simmons:

"It shocked a lot of people. It shocked me. Shit I was talking to James one day and I'm like shit bro we about to go win these championships and it was like a day later, asked for a trade. I understood completely" pic.twitter.com/0uNOOBHul7

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) July 23, 2025

"It shocked a lot of people. It shocked me. S***, I was talking to James one day and I'm like s*** bro we about to go win these championships and it was like a day later, asked for a trade. I understood completely," Irving said during a live stream on Twitch.

Irving added that he was unaware of the "landscape" of where Simmons was in his career, as he turned out to be a major letdown for the Nets. Eventually, Harden would get traded from the Philadelphia 76ers and join the Los Angeles Clippers, where he is now. As for Simmons, his Nets tenure was a disaster, eventually being bought out and joining the Clippers as well this past season.

The Nets big 3 on May 30, 2021:

Kevin Durant- 42 Pts • 4 Rb • 5 Ast
Kyrie Irving - 39 Pts • 11 Rb • 2 Ast
James Harden - 23 Pts • 5 Rb • 18 Ast pic.twitter.com/u8XoHuR6DX

— 𝙒𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙆𝙖𝙞 (@Wizard11KAI) May 30, 2025

Despite pairing three of the best offensive talents in recent NBA history together, they weren't able to get it done in Brooklyn. But with all three players now in great situations to compete, it has seemingly worked out for them.

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