Harden isn't surprised Durant, Irving fled Nets’ ‘dysfunction’

NEW YORK (AP)— James Harden isn’t surprisedKevin Durantand KyrieIrving wanted out of Brooklyn, having tired quickly of the“dysfunction” he saw in his brief time with the Nets and askingout.

“I didn’tjust ask to leave for no reason,” Harden said.

Harden wastraded to Philadelphia at the 2022 trade deadline. By the time hecame back Saturday just a year later for the first time in theregular season,Durant and Irving were also gone.

He wouldn’tspecify his reasons for souring so quickly, but made clear he feltthere were problems within the Nets organization.

“There wasjust a lot of dysfunction — clearly. There was a lot of internalthings that I’m not going to ever just say or put in the media oranything, and that was one of the reasons why I chose to make mydecision,” Harden said after scoring29 points in the 76ers’101-98 victory.

“But now,fast forward to today, I don’t look like the crazy one,” he added.“I don’t look like the guy, or the quitter or whatever the mediawant to call me. Like, I knew what was going on and I just decidedto, like, I’m not built for this. I don’t want to deal with that. Iwant to play basketball and have fun and enjoy doing it.”

Harden wasacquired from Houston in January 2021 and the Nets quickly became achampionship favorite with their potent lineup. But they lost inthe second round of those playoffs after both Irving and Hardenwere injured against Milwaukee, then struggled to get off theground in 2021-22 after Irving refused to be vaccinated against thecoronavirus so he could be eligible to play in all their games.

After Durantsprained his knee in January 2022, the Big Three was often down tojust one and Harden’s effort and interest seemed to wane whileforced to carry a team that had to play unproven players aroundhim. He told the organization he wanted to leave and the Nets senthim to the 76ers in a package for Ben Simmons.

Hardenwouldn’t say if the Nets’ problems — or his frustrations — startedwith the difficulty in being able to count on Irving.

“I mean,that’s not something that I’m going to answer,” Harden said. “Butthe reason I made that decision to get out of my comfort zone,which was leave Houston and do everything that I did to get out ofthere, was to come in and play with KD and Kyrie. And with thatbeing said, that didn’t happen as much as I would like to orprobably the organization wanted to.”

It turned outto only be 16 games.

Durantoriginally asked for a trade last summer and finally got itThursday when the Nets dealt him to the Phoenix Suns. A few daysearlier, the Nets had moved quickly to grant Irving’s request toleave by dealing him to the Dallas Mavericks.

“There’s alot of possibilities of what could’ve happened, but it’s part oflife,” Harden said. “Move on, and I’m sure everybody’s in a betterplace, a good place.”