“F**k it, James Harden isn’t bringing sh*t”: Kevin Durant had final say on the Ben Simmons to the Nets trade due to poor play from Harden

Kevin Durant was the ultimate decision maker in sending James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers and bringing Ben Simmons to Brooklyn. 

The biggest trade that could’ve happened on February 10th, 2022, happened. James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Ben Simmons, with pieces around the periphery to round out the transactions. 

In his first postgame presser as a 76er, James Harden didn’t hesitate in letting the NBA world know that Philly was always his first choice. It’s unclear how true this is as he reiterated last year that he was glad to share the floor with his former OKC teammate, Kevin Durant, once again.

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When asked about his relationship with Kyrie Irving, James let it be known that there was no bad blood between the two. “Very minimal (Irving’s vaccine situation’s impact). Honestly, me and Kyrie are really good friends. Whatever he was going through and still going through, that’s his personal preference.” 

Kevin Durant spoke about the blockbuster during the All-Star draft saying both teams got what they wanted, hinting towards the Nets perhaps not wanting Harden any longer. 

Kevin Durant pulled the trigger on the James Harden trade. 

Sean Marks made it a point to involve the star players on decisions to be made that could help improve the roster. This included Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Joe Harris, and James Harden. When the latter of those guys wanted out, KD signed off on the trade, essentially having final say in the matter.

According to Jake Fischer, an insider with direct knowledge of what transpired within the Brooklyn Nets organization revealed that “Kevin was like: ‘F—k it. James isn’t bringing s—t. He added. “I don’t think that would have happened without Kevin making that decision.”

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Given just how poor his body language was on the court without his co-stars, putting up 4 points in his last game as a Brooklyn Net, Durant felt as though moving on was the best course of action. 

It’ll be interesting to see where Harden and Durant’s relationship with one another stands following this trade between the Sixers and the Nets.