Kyrie Irving recalls being shocked James Harden asked for a trade from the Nets one day after telling him they would win titles together: "I understood completely what he was doing"

Kyrie Irving recalls being shocked James Harden asked for a trade from the Nets one day after telling him they would win titles together: “I understood completely what he was doing” originally appeared on Basketball Network.

When James Harden joined the Brooklyn Nets midseason in January of 2021 in a blockbuster deal, many believed a dynasty was in the making. Harden teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to form arguably the most offensively gifted trio in NBA history.

It was a perfect fit — Harden had carried the offensive burden for years in Houston, often leading the league in isolation scoring. Now, he had two elite scorers beside him who could shoulder that load, while he facilitated and picked his spots. It was a match made in basketball heaven.

Kyrie was surprised when Harden asked to get traded from Brooklyn

However, the experiment quickly unraveled due to COVID-19 and injuries. The trio played just 16 games together over nearly two seasons before Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons. Speaking on his Twitch channel, Irving reflected on that moment and his surprise when James Harden asked for a trade to go to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons.

“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, he asked for a trade.”

“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 recalled.

One of the biggest “what ifs” in NBA history

Rumors had long been swirling that Harden was growing frustrated with the team’s inability to stay healthy and build chemistry, all while his prime years were slipping away. The team never won a title, and fans will forever remember them as one of the biggest “what ifs” in the history of the NBA.

Kevin Durant recently opened up about why the Nets’ superteam failed despite looking perfect on paper.

“I enjoyed Brooklyn a lot, but it was just so much around the guys that were committed to the situation. We balled out every game we played together. COVID, injuries — more than anything, I think it’s injuries, ’cause I feel like we had a good chance of winning it the first year when I stepped on the line.

So sh-t happens that way, man, but I don’t think that should be an indictment on anybody. It’s just people don’t understand the context, though — what truly happens. They just look at the names and think it’s going to be perfect,” Durant said.

Nets never caught a break

And KD’s right. That team never caught a break. First, they waited a full season for Durant to recover from an Achilles injury. Then Kyrie refused the COVID vaccine and missed most of the season. When he did return, he got hurt, as did Harden.

From the start, expectations were sky-high. But in truth, the downfall didn’t happen on the court. As Durant himself admitted, Brooklyn was one of the most enjoyable stops in his career. Sometimes in life, things just don’t go as planned, and that’s precisely what happened to that Nets team.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.

Kyrie Irving recalls being shocked James Harden asked for a trade from the Nets one day after telling him they would win titles together: “I understood completely what he was doing”

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