Kevin Durant andJames Harden were engaged in a "cold war" this season, according to a report.- Durant was frustrated with Harden's condition and an apparent lack of commitment to the team.
Kevin Durant didn't want to trade James Harden, but he knew when it was time.
According to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer, Durant had grown frustrated with Harden this season over his conditioning and an apparent lack of commitment to the
One source told Fischer that Durant and Harden had a "cold war" this season that made everyone "miserable."
According to Fischer, Durant was disappointed with Harden's conditioning when Harden reported to training camp. The two stars reportedly never worked out together during the offseason, and Durant had arrived in excellent shape after playing the Olympics.
Furthermore, as Harden grew more and more discontent with the Nets and sat out with a hamstring injury, Durant was one member of the Nets questioning the severity of the injury, according to Fischer.
Durant reportedly held out hope that Harden would become re-engaged. However, according to Fischer, after reports grew louder that Harden wanted a trade to the
Fischer quoted a source saying: "Kevin's the one that pulled the trigger with this. Kevin's the one that said, 'Do this deal.'"
Fischer reported another source felt the deal wouldn't have gotten done without the input of Durant, who was worried that a disinterested Harden could tank the Nets' championship chase.
The Athletic's Joe Vardon had also reported that Irving wanted Harden to be traded after reports of Harden's discontent surfaced.
Ultimately, the Nets traded Harden to the Sixers for a package of Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks. The blockbuster deal was a unique instance of two disgruntled superstars being swapped in a deal that may have made both teams better.
For the Nets, the short-lived Big Three era remains the ultimate what-if. Harden hurt his hamstring at the end of the 2020-21 regular season and then aggravated it in the playoffs, severely limiting his ability. Irving then injured his ankle in the second round and missed the remainder of the playoffs. Had they stayed healthy, they might have won the championship and skirted this implosion.
Consequently, Harden didn't sign an extension with the Nets this offseason and the Nets didn't offer one to Irving because of his vaccination status. Irving refusing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine led to a part-time role that bothered Harden, and when Durant injured his knee in January, Harden grew disenchanted with the entire situation.
Harden, Durant, and Irving played just 16 games together in the regular season and playoffs combined.
After the deadline, Durant told reporters that Harden doesn't owe anyone an explanation for his desire to move on. But Durant's comments may have been telling about how the trade unfolded.
"I'm just glad that we got this thing done and now we're able to move forward and get some of this noise away, and I'm sure he would feel the same way. But from around our team and around our group, there's noise about what may happen. So I'm glad we can push through that."