In the NBA things can change in the blink of an eye. The Nets are a perfect case study in that.
The moment after the Milwaukee Bucks won their title last season, all the attention shifted to the Brooklyn Nets as the new favorites to win the championship. And why wouldn’t they be? After all, they were just a few inches away from beating the Bucks themselves. And that was just with Kevin Durant. If they could stay healthy, there is no stopping this team.
Yet here we are just half a year later and it looks like this team is on the verge of collapsing. Kyrie Irving is only playing on the road because he’s unvaccinated. Kevin Durant is out with a knee injury.
And James Harden seems to be done with it all.
Harden wants to be traded to the 76ers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski but doesn’t want to formally request the trade because of the backlash he’d face.
But at least one teammate seems to have already accepted that he’s done there. And that teammate is Kevin Durant.
Durant liked a post on Instagram from The Score about Harden wanting a trade.
Kevin Durant likes this IG post about Harden reportedly wanting a trade. 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/rxpyG36i6S
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 10, 2022
Whew, man. This is just messy. The Nets gave up Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and a number of draft picks and swaps through 2027 to get Harden. Durant, himself, vouched for him.
Harden reportedly being through with the team is a pretty tough break — albeit a bit understandable because this isn’t what Harden signed up for.
Fans from around the NBA had mixed reactions. They were here for the drama.