Getty Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden at Barclays Center.
When James Harden and Kyrie Irving got injured during the Brooklyn Nets matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, not many people gave them a chance to win. Not only did the Nets give themselves a shot to win, but they came a play or two away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. Brooklyn’s fighting chance was due largely in part to the performance they got from their superstar Kevin Durant who averaged 48.5 points in the Nets’ last two home games.
Durant was rewarded with a four-year $192 million contract extension for his performance in the 2021 NBA playoffs. Now Harden and Irving are on deck to receive their max extensions, something that will put the Nets in a position to be title contenders every year for the foreseeable future.
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James Harden Parts Ways With the Agents That Got Him to Nets
Nets’ general manager Sean Marks has said previously that he would prefer to have Irving and Harden inked to long-term deals before training camp opens in September. That may be an even tougher hill to climb now that Harden has moved on from the same agents he hired to facilitate the trade that landed him in Brooklyn per ESPN’s Jordan Schultz.
“James Harden, per sources, is cutting ties with Jason Ranne and Chafie Fields of Wasserman – whom he hired to help facilitate his trade from the Rockets to the Nets,” Schultz tweeted on Monday.”Harden’s new representation will be long-time friend, Lorenzo McCloud, along with the NBPA.”
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James Harden Has High Praise for Steve Nash
It may be too early to determine if Harden’s decision to fire his agents has to do with his looming contract extension with the Nets. However what can be said is that in his first season in Brooklyn, fans got to see a version of Harden unlike we have ever seen before.
‘The Beard’ has transformed into a pure point guard who can be focused on getting others involved and letting his co-stars take on the bulk of the scoring load. Harden credits much of that success to Nets head coach Steve Nash whom he refers to as the ‘ultimate players coach.’
“He was a great point guard, and you really see that during situations in the game,” Harden said to Michael Shapiro of Sports Illustrated. “There’s a real difference where with him he actually played the game and played it at an elite level, so he understands every game situation. Actually being in high-level moments so often over the years, that’s a big benefit for us.”
Business Was a Big Reason Harden Chose the Nets
Harden obviously saw a lot of promise on the basketball side of things when he listed the Nets at the top of his trade destination list. But aside from basketball, Harden also saw a tremendous business opportunity in Brooklyn.
“That was one of the reasons I wanted to come to New York and Brooklyn. I want to build my business side and my brand side more than it already is,” Harden said to Sports Illustrated. “And what other place would you do that than Brooklyn? And as long as we win, as long as we handle our business on the court, our work off the court will reach the same level.”
Harden has remained rather quiet about whether he will sign a contract extension with the Nets before the season starts. What is most important now is that he will be in Brooklyn this season. After a disappointing playoff exit, he and the Nets will be looking for a different result in 2022.
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