Kyrie Irving has opened up about the surprise and confusion surrounding James Harden’s departure from the Brooklyn Nets — revealing that the trade request came just one day after an optimistic conversation between the two stars.
During a recent livestream, the Dallas Mavericks guard reacted to Kevin Durant and Steve Nash discussing why the Nets’ superteam fell apart on the Mind the Game podcast. Irving then shared his own experience, revealing he and Harden had a talk the day before Harden requested the trade.
“It shocked a lot of people. It shocked me. Sh–, I was talking to James one day, and I’m like sh–, bro, we about to go win these championships, and it was like a day later, [he] asked for a trade. I understood completely,” Kyrie said.
The Nets originally assembled a Big 3 of Durant, Irving, and Harden during the 2020–21 season, giving up Jarrett Allen and multiple picks to acquire Harden from the Rockets. But the trio only managed to play 16 games together — going 13–3 — due to injuries, COVID protocols, and behind-the-scenes drama.
Harden requested a trade in the 2021–22 season and was sent to the 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, in a deal that never paid off for Brooklyn. Irving later mentioned he and Harden have since reflected on what went wrong, and both he and Durant would also leave the Nets in 2023.
