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Things got a little testy toward the end of James Harden’s run with the Brooklyn Nets. He didn’t exit on bad terms but a mutual breakup was the inevitable outcome and everyone has moved on. No hard feelings.
Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers where he has stated his desired goal of winning “multiple championships.” The 10-time All-Star will return to Barclays Center in Brooklyn on October 3 for the preseason opener between the Nets and Sixers. Don’t expect any fireworks.
When asked for his thoughts on returning to Brooklyn, Harden downplayed it: “Nah, I mean … it’s just a preseason game.” (via The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey).
That sentiment matches what Harden told reporters prior to squaring off against the Nets last season. Brooklyn walked out of Wells Fargo Center with a 129-100 blowout win on March 10, 2021.
“No. I’m not nervous,” Harden said before that one. “It’s basketball. I put the work in to go out there and just play my game and live with the results. Honestly, every game is a big game for us.”
Brooklyn’s Big 3 Experiment Lasted 16 Games
The Nets were supposed to be a powerhouse team and hang multiple banners up in Brooklyn. Harden was sent there in a blockbuster trade that formed a deadly new Big Three alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. That trio wound up playing just 16 total games together in a failed experiment. (They did go 13-3 in those games).
Why didn’t it work out? It’s complicated. Irving refused to get vaccinated and missed 53 games last season. Durant injured the MCL in his left knee and sat out 27 games. All those factors likely fueled Harden’s desire to leave, a decision that Durant respected and understood. Those two guys have remained friends.
“He hasn’t won a championship before. He’s 32 years old,” Durant said, via Bleacher Report. “You look at it from his perspective and just say ‘it is what it is.’ You can’t really control how somebody feels when they’re thinking like that.”
Ben Simmons Ready for Brooklyn Nets Debut
Ben Simmons is the player the Sixers gave up to acquire Harden. His bizarre Philadelphia drama has been reported, researched, and rehashed too many times. He’s expected to suit up for the first time as a Brooklyn Net in the preseason opener on October 3.
How much he actually plays is anyone’s guess, but he’ll be on the court. Ditto for Irving and Durant, according to multiple reports.
Simmons recently recalled his time with surprising candor and excitement. He even called the Philly fans “unbelievable.”
“People in Philly just want to have something to say about f****** anything! Like, everything, like literally everything,” Simmons told JJ Redick’s Old Man & The Three podcast. “I post a picture of a f****** car or a dog and I got reporters saying you should be in the f****** gym. Come on, man. But, yeah, for sure. Philly is obviously a sports city. And my experience playing there was incredible. Like, for the most part, it was incredible. I had a great time. Like, the fans are unbelievable.”
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