Kyrie Irving shared a shocking detail about James Harden's decision to request a trade from the Brooklyn Nets.
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden appeared destined to lead the Brooklyn Nets to their first NBA title in franchise history. The trio marked one of the best collections of talent that the league has ever seen, however, their tenure together will largely be remembered for their inability to win a championship.
The group shared the court for just 16 games -- as they were 8-2 in ten regular season matchups and 5-1 in six postseason outings -- before things blew up. Their lone postseason run was derailed by injury as Irving and Harden both missed three games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals as the Nets lost to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.
The following season, Irving was suspended to begin the season as he opted not to take the COVID-19 vaccine. His decision ultimately led Harden to request a trade, which Brooklyn obliged with by sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers. The nine-time All-Star shared a shocking detail about that trade request.
"When James got traded for Ben (Simmons), I don't think we knew the landscape of where Ben was at," Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving stated Tuesday. "I don't think we knew where Ben was at so when that trade happened, it shocked a lot of people. It shocked me. (Expletive), I was talking to James one day. I'm like, '(expletive), bro, we about to go win these championships'. And it was like a day later, asked for a trade."
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"I was like, 'oh, okay, (expletive) like that now," Irving continued. "I can't be mad. I'm not ever going to be mad at someone doing what's best for them. And shoutout to James. I've had my conversation with James. I told him, I said, 'bro, I understood completely'."
Irving noted that he understood Harden was unsure his availability to his decision not to take the vaccine. He added that the 2017-18 MVP also had questions about the next stage of his career and what contract he would receive.
The one-time champion revealed that acquiring Simmons put even more pressure on the Nets organization. Ultimately, Brooklyn wound up trading Irving, Durant and Harden without winning a championship -- leaving many to label the pairing as one of the biggest failures in NBA history.
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