James Harden Reveals True Reason For Nets Trade
Since star guard James Harden was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers at the NBA Trade Deadline last season, he wasn't reflected too much on his short tenure with the Brooklyn Nets.
His tenure with the Nets spanned just over one year and it was unusual. The superteam, charged by the trio of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving didn't get the job done, nor fully got off the ground. The team suffered a playoff exit to the Milwaukee Bucks and came up well short of a championship push. Harden was playing on a hurt hamstring and the following season, it was evident the superstar guard's time in Brooklyn was coming to an end.
In an interview with Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports, Harden spoke about the lack of organizational structure Brooklyn had in his time in the borough. In the eyes of the 33-year-old star, the Nets had no structure - something that held Harden and his co-stars back from being leaders.
"I don't mean to, like, just down talk to anybody or whatever. It was just, there was no structure and even superstars, they need structure," Harden said. "That's what allows us to be the best players and leaders for our respective organizations. ... I just feel like, internally, things weren't what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that."
When you reflect on the 2021-22 season in Brooklyn, the lack of structure can certainly be justified. According to Weitzman, Harden and Durant butted heads in their second chapter as teammates over the Sixers guard's physical shape. Here's what Weitzman reported.
First, there was the whole Kyrie Irving vaccination mess. Also, Harden and Durant, according to multiple Nets sources, butted heads during the season – Durant didn't think Harden was in peak physical shape, and told him as much; Harden, meanwhile, struggled to adjust to an ecosystem where everything was no longer catered to him. According to a friend, Harden also became frustrated with the Nets training staff and its focus on maintenance, rest and recovery; after all, in Houston he'd run stadium stairs and lift – even after games sometimes – and he never got hurt.
"Once it got to a certain point, James was just over all of it," a Nets staffer said.
In the same realm of structure, Harden heard all the noise after he was traded out of Brooklyn. He was called all names that were related to being a quitter.
In his response to the question, Harden pointed out that he wasn't the only star that attempted to leave Brooklyn. And he's correct. Durant requested and rescinded a trade in the off-season and Irving was weighing out other options before re-joining the Nets during that same time frame.
"I just feel like, internally, things weren't what I expected when I was trying to get traded there. I think everybody knows that. I knew people were going to talk and say, 'You quit' and all that stuff, but then the following summer, the other superstar there [Durant] wanted to leave," Harden stated in the interview. "So it's like: Am I still the quitter?"
Harden played a total of 80 regular season games in a Nets uniform. In his time as a Net, Harden averaged 21.4 points, 6.9 boards, and 10.6 assists in 37.7 minutes per game.
