Kyrie Irving Breaks Silence on James Harden Trade

Kyrie Irving shared his thoughts on the Brooklyn Nets trading James Harden for Ben Simmons

Joey Linn | Feb 11, 2022

Barry Gossage | Credit: NBAE via Getty Images

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After days of speculation, it finally happened. On Thursday afternoon, just shortly ahead of the NBA's 3:00 EST trade deadline, the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a trade centered around James Harden and Ben Simmons.

Numerous reports have now surfaced that indicate contention within Brooklyn's locker room ultimately led to the departure of James Harden. This includes Kyrie Irving's part-time status, as Harden reportedly grew frustrated with with the lack of help he was receiving from Kyrie. This contention reportedly extended beyond just Kyrie, as Sports Illustrated's Farbod Esnaashari reported that James Harden and Kevin Durant had also clashed at times, including disagreements over their team culture ideals.

While all of Thursday's reports indicate that James Harden's relationships within that locker room had soured, Kyrie Irving took the high road in his postgame press conference. "I'm not here to judge him, I'm not here to talk down on James... I just want him to be happy, I just want everyone in this league to be happy," Kyrie said. "One thing that's never talked about in our industry, you never really know what people are going through, and you have to respect their decisions," Kyrie added.

While Irving did not take any shots at James Harden, he did express his excitement for the arrival of Ben Simmons. "When I look at Ben, I see so many different skillsets that he can bring out onto the floor. I see so many different positions he can play," Kyrie said.

While it is unclear when Ben Simmons will debut for the Brooklyn Nets, the team is understandably excited to put the James Harden situation behind them, and move forward with this new roster.

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JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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