Kyrie Irving reveals conversation with James Harden day before Nets-76ers trade

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving says he was "shocked" when he found out James Harden asked for a trade.

Feb 2, 2022; Sacramento, California, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving (11) and guard James Harden (13) talk during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Kyrie Irving's tenure with the Brooklyn Nets was a rocky one, to say the least. Kevin Durant was out for the first year he was there due to an Achilles recovery, then Irving's refusal to get the New York-mandated COVID-19 vaccine forced him to miss home games.

During the 2020-21 season, the Nets swung a trade to bring in James Harden from the Houston Rockets, giving up Jarrett Allen and control of seven first-round draft picks to bring in the former NBA MVP, forming a Big 3 of Durant, Irving, and Harden.

READ MORE: Mavericks-Lakers Luka Doncic trade named biggest NBA mistake of the decade

Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) signals after a 3-point basket over Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When the three played together, they were lethal. But the big issue was playing together, as for the year that Harden was on the Nets, the three superstars only played 16 games together, going 13-3. Due to a few different reasons, Harden asked for a trade in the 2021-22 season, and he was sent to the Brooklyn Nets for Ben Simmons, a move that did not pay off for Brooklyn.

On a recent stream, the now Dallas Mavericks guard Irving reacted to a clip of Kevin Durant and Steve Nash talking about why the Nets teams didn't work out on the "Mind the Game" podcast, and gave his own side of the story, saying he was talking with Harden the day before the trade.

"It shocked a lot of people. It shocked me. Sh--, I was talking to James one day, and I'm like sh--, bro, we about to go win these championships, and it was like a day later, asked for a trade. I understood completely."

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

Irving said he has talked with Harden since, and they've had discussions about what went wrong. Irving and Durant were both traded away from the Nets in 2023, so they had their own issues with the organization, something Irving also discussed.

READ MORE: Mavericks guard 'happy' to have former Lakers teammate in Dallas

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the offseason

Follow MavericksGameday on Twitter and Austin Veazey on Twitter

More Dallas Mavericks News

• Mavericks sign key piece to $54 million extension amid trade rumors

• Sequence between Cooper Flagg, Bronny James goes viral during Mavericks-Lakers

• BREAKING: Mavericks officially select Cooper Flagg first overall in 2025 NBA Draft

• Kyrie Irving makes massive decision on his future with Mavericks