Kyrie Irving won’t be shedding any tears over the departure of James Harden, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. According to a “well-placed source,” Irving was eager to see a Harden trade come to fruition.
Vardon relayed a story where Irving lit some sage in the locker room before a game in Cleveland, which Harden found odd and annoying. Harden was also frustrated that Irving wouldn’t get vaccinated, limiting him to away games. Harden’s ball-dominant, initiate-and–shoot style was also an ill fit next to Irving’s playmaking.
We have more on the Nets-Sixers blockbuster:
- The trade came together in earnest just this morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (video link). The Sixers had been calling Brooklyn about a potential deal but the Nets didn’t truly make counteroffers until Thursday. The Nets wanted Matisse Thybulle as part of the package but eventually settled for two first-round picks. “The Nets just felt it was time to cut ties with James Harden,” Wojnarowski said. “They were confident he was planning to leave them at the end of the season.”
- Don’t expect Ben Simmons to suit up for the Nets before the All-Star break, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne speculates on NBA Today (video link). “Physically, this (his return) could happen at anytime but mentally I think he’s going to take a little time here,” she said. “The All-Star break is coming up and I would look for something after that.”
- The trade leaves the Sixers $33.6MM over the salary cap and $9.4MM over the luxury tax threshold, Derek Bodner of the Daily Six newsletter tweets.
Harden and Irving clashing over ball possesion? Who would have thought?
So in the end its Jarret Allen, Taurean Prince, Caris LaVert who thanks you for the forced physical, 2 first and 3 valuable pick swaps for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond. I mean I think they would have been better off dealing no-one of the first 3 and having the picks to package for a player last offseason than that.
HOU got out of the James Harden game at exactly the right time, and despite giving up a lot on the whole the Nets probably dodged a bullet getting real pieces back instead of 6 years of Harden for like 300M getting worse by the day.
Feels good to be a 76er fan. Just sit back and watch all the hater comments commence. So many were proven wrong on what the 76ers would have to give up but the haters are just doubling down and saying the 76ers lost the trade. Lol
I hope Nick Nurse finds a way to make JB cry again lol.
Not really tho, I hope he blames Harden for a collapse and we do this all over again next year
Your team traded a 25 year old star to a division rival for an aging, declining 33 year old who is a ball stopper on offense, a sieve on defense, has quit on 2 teams in 2 years, and will be making $60 million a year into his age 37 and 38 seasons. As a Raptors fan and someone who really despises the Sixers and anything Philadelphia, I’m honestly thrilled Philly decided to close their championship window by acquiring Harden, a perrenial LOSER, and also passed on acquiring a young stud like Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton is the player I REALLY did not want to see Philadelphia get, thank God Daryl Morey is an inside the box thinker who seemingly cannot and will not do anything as a GM besides try to acquire and acquire James Harden. LMAO and Hallelujah!!!
Good grief, man settle down. Neither the Sixers nor the Nets will be winning a ring any time soon.
@Theone Lemme guess, your girl left you for some guy in Philly?
Whatever dude, Harden’s never had a player of Embiid’s caliber on his team and vice versa. They should be funner than hell to watch.
What? He had Durant.
He just came from a team that has kevin durant….
Ok I mistyped. Durant is of that caliber but he’s never played with a Pick and Roll partner like Embiid.
That i agree with
Our team traded two bench players and a 25 year old who fears the game and now has to deal with being traded for a top 5 player and sure hall of Famer my biased friend. We acquired the BEARD!
Giannis, Jokic, Durant, Curry, LeBron, Embiid himself and Luka are all better than Harden is right now. So top 8 player.
Booo Harden Boooo your about to overpay him for what he did in HOU, and it will still be just as dreadful to watch even if it is less effective now. Get ready for the NBAs longest dullest games!
Since you have Harden you now must lose he’s like the unlucky rabbits foot.
Honestly, I’d rather have Simmons, Curry, Drummond, and two firsts than an aging James Harden with a chronic hamstring issue. It’s not “hating” to say the Sixers lost the trade.
Don’t forget the huge contract he’s going to require as he gets even older and more injury prone.
And that might be the best-case scenario. In the worst-case scenario, he leaves as a rental and no championship is won.
It’s your lack of understanding of the game friend that’s hateful. We got the BEARD!
The Sixers really didn’t have Simmons
People who disagree with you aren’t necessarily haters. What an ignorant way to look at comments you disagree with. You can always … trust the processed CHEEEEESE :))
The hypocrisy of 76ers fans… Harden forced his way out of Houston just like Simmons did to 76ers. Not a word about it. All of you clutching your pearls about it are celebrating now. What!? Simmons was having mental health issues because that arena is a mental institution.
At this point Harden is just a rental. And if he does get the big contract he’s going to age terribly. If the Sixers do not win a championship this year or, at best, next year this deal will not look good.
Not that I don’t understand the rationale for it, but there is an argument to be made that the Nets won it. Especially since there was no law that required Simmons to be traded for Harden. The Sixers had a lot of options.
Was proven right… Lmao
Burning sage in the locker room? You can’t make this stuff up.
“What are you talking about, I just did”
-Richie Aprile
Veal parmesan sandwich? Fawk yew.
He did it on the court his first game in BK too…or maybe first game of the bubble I forget
“Yo, bartender! Jobu needs a refill!”
Maybe Kyrie should try being a full-time teammate before pulling those types of stunts.
@hereallnight
The ritual of sage burning has its roots in Native American tradition. Today, people burn sage and otherholy herbs to cleanse a space or environment of negative energy, to generate wisdom and clarity, and to promote healing
how dare he!!!!
Everyone dogged Morey. People wanted him to settle for hot garbage. Telling them to take dinwiddie etc.
I mean, I don’t think Daryl pulled anything exceptional off here. Haliburton would’ve been a way better get for that organization. Unfortunately for Philadelphia and Unfortunately for Joel Embiid, all Morey knows is James Harden. Good luck with that 33 year old out of shape ball stopping no defense playing strip club loving diva!
The mad genius got the BEARD for bench players my friend. Watch jojo and the BEARD on the pick and pop the pick and roll, watch 40 charity stripe strolls between them per game friend.
I think Philly will be just fine. They were good without Simmons and should be great with Harden. He’s certainly an upgrade over what Philly was working with prior to acquiring him.
28 pts, 8 rebounds, 10 assists
Imagine choosing weirdo crazy (also not even that good) Kyrie over Harden lmao this is comical
That’s to suggest they had a choice. did anyone want Kyrie?
No one wanted Kyrie because of the vaccine issues among other issues he has seemingly everywhere he goes. Harden gets the rap as a locker room cancer, and it’s certainly possible, but Kyrie is also on that level. Kyrie’s selfishness bleeds over into the team… it almost sounds like a spoiled child with Kyrie.
Kyrie is 10 times the basketball player James Larden is. Darryl Morey has 0 ability to think outside a box. All he knows is James Harden LOL
lmao Harden is worth so, so much more than Kyrie, who has played a grand total of 12 games this year.
Kyrie is worthless. Seems like you’re just hating because you aren’t using any logic.
Kyrie isn’t “that good”???
say what you want about his personality, but Kyrie is a legit all-star.
career 23/6/4 on 47/39/88 yeash.
Career… What about the last year, or even last three years?
You could otherwise try to sign Larry Bird, has great career stats but past few years havent been that great…
If I were Simmons, I’d file a lawsuit against 76ers.
You can’t just take away Simmons $19 million.
He has mental injury. The injury is the part of the game.
I could see Ben getting a chunk of his lost earnings back. I believe that is the expectation amongst the Simmons camp.
self inflicted….
all he has to do is provide paperwork from a mental health DR and the 76ers would have paid him He could NOT GET ANY DR TO DIAGNOSE HIM WITH A LEGIT ISSUE! THATS WHY THEY STARTED WITHHOLDING HIS PAY AGAIN.You can’t claim a mental health issue and not expect to collect MILLIONS without having any proof
Your wrong. Because the CBA requires them to pay him if he has a mental health absence he has the recourse of going to arbitration for a ruling. Him giving the team stuff does nothing to force them to pay. So the pathway of enforcing the CBA is through arbitration.
He will probably get most of the money in the long run since the team had to put it all in escrow pending the outcome of arbitration, and it will be incredibly hard to prove he didnt have a problem unless they have texts or emails where he says its bs.
Or, what if he goes there, suits up, practices and then plays after some get in shape time..Does that mean he is cured? First, I’m not a Phan of this trade..But, I think he is a child who couldn’t take any criticism…time to put his big boy pants on and grow the eff up.
Cry me a river
Lol trade me or I won’t play is not a mental issue. The sixers offered him support and offered to pay him if he accepted support and he reneged on the deal.
@Sullivan
no….stress…. pressure… the ability to stand in front of the media and take responsibility is part of the game. called being a professional. no such thing as a “mental injury”. the fact that he wouldn’t allow the team to take part of the evaluation screams issues.
I wish the Nuggets would stop giving ten days to Cousins and the Sixers brought him in. Maybe buyout Milsap.
Harden is past his prime and Simmons is a head case. Both teams lost the deal.
If 76ers are not able to win one championship this year or next year,
My Grades
Nets A
76ers D
Now Harden FG is 41% and 33%, in 2024 his FG would be current Westbrook.
I am glad to see the Simmons trade.
Simmons is the biggest winner today!
@sillivan
really? reallllly? realllllllllly? you think a guy who shys away from taking criticism and dealing with the media’s is going to survive the NY fans and media? get your popcorn ready.
I felt Brooklyn was more desperate to make a move, but Philly had to give up Curry. I think Korkmuz would’ve closed the deal at the last minute, but I get that Philly wanted Harden. Helping Brooklyn out could be detrimental come playoff time. TBD
I have only 1 question
Who is a best team come playoffs time, Bucks, Heat or 76ers?
Nets and Bulls are not good enough.
I don’t think they are winning a ring this year but the Nets are better than the Bulls.
Bucks vs Suns 2022 finals, Bucks win again
Always said Kyrie and Harden would not mix. Unfortunately the head case Kyrie. Is going to sabotage this season. Love the Ben n KD pairing. Hopefully by the end yr. They will pull the mandates. Or Kyrie gets vaccinated.
Getting Curry and Drummond was also savvy. This Nets team is built for yrs of contention. If Kyrie plays.
Philly did well to keep Maxey. Can’t wait for that first gm Sixers vs Nets. Thursday 3/10/22 in Bklyn …….
Gonna be most watched game of year lols.
Kyrie will get vaccinated, he’s had no leg to stand on for a long time and once the playoffs come he’ll show how little of a point he ever had. He’s a contrarian without a clue.
Such a good day today. Yes it was a lot of give up and I would’ve preferred to give up Thybulle than Curry but such is life.
As I said thousands of times Sixers will wait and get a good return. So many people were saying we would be lucky to get Bagley and Heild. Blah blah blah you guys were all wrong.
Now we have two top 10 players, we were already a team 2.5 games of first place in the east and now have just added James m*th*rf*ck*ng Harden.
See you haters in the conference finals
As a Sixers fan tho I also really like the look of the Nets team.
1. Irving. Mills. Carter
2. Curry. Harris. Thomas
3. KD. Brown. Edwards
4. Simmons. Claxton. Johnson
5. Drummond. Aldridge. Griffin
Plus the extra first round picks
Imagine the line ups they can build around Simmons with shooters. Mills Curry Harris Simmons and Aldridge.
Plus it’s not all their chips on win now. They have some good young players like Simmons, Thomas, Edwards, Sharpe, Claxton etc etc
you down with TTP?
How ironic would it be if Kyrie got the shot now?
Kyrie is going to get the shot for the playoffs, he’s got no point in his views and is just too much of a coward to really stand up for anything other than himself. If he wants a reason, Harden, he can scapegoat if he wants. But Kyrie has long since lost any credence to his intellectual capabilities.
I think you can argue for either team as the winner. The trade was also necessary for both teams since Simmons refused to play and Harden would have probably left in free agency at season’s end.
Each team’s performance over the next few years will dictate who the winner of the trade is. I’m not a fan of either team but I am happy the trade was made and we can end all the drama…for now.
Mark your calendar, Nets at 76er on March 10th.
This is a clear sixers win
I would rather have Westbrook than Harden. 76ers took a step backwards today
All Philly is really losing is Curry and Drummond, while adding Harden. I fail to see how they got better. The future assets will hurt but not for a few years at least and odds say the lost 1st rounders won’t be a big deal.
Pretty much anything Irving does is annoying as hell, the sage burning indoors, not getting a vaccine, the general cowardice on his points. I really couldn’t blame him, no one wants to be around that. It is funny it’s Harden that finds it annoying though because Irving is entirely selfish (and a contrarian just to be one) but Harden is fairly ball dominant himself.
Because Philly did not have to give up Thybulle or Maxey, they were the winners in this trade.
It pretty crazy that the Nets would rather have Kyrie then Harden I kinda want to know how Durant feels about all this
Both teams “lost” the trade, as the 2k’ers like to say. Basketball merits are even (if you treat Simmons as the player he was), but:
BKN lost the only thing that mattered to the franchise (the rail to the championship). Yes, even with KI as a part-timer. Maybe that was lost prior to the trade (if Harden was going to check out), but I’m not convinced, and in any event it wasn’t apparent until today.
PHI is obviously a much better team today than it was yesterday (Harden replacing Curry essentially), but are they better than they would be if they made a different deal for Simmons? Probably, but their window now is a lot narrower, and the talent more concentrated in fragile bodies, than it had to be. A less myopic approach could have set them up for a much longer run.
Moving over to the non-2k world, looking at where each team was 12 months ago, is there anyone who thinks either team had a great year?
Re: Putting up with sage-burning weirdos – I didn’t realize how relatable harden is. Bet he drinks Budweiser to get his off-season gut.
Pairing Simmons with Irving will certainly improve the former’s mental health significantly, right?
1. The Nets were in first place when Durant went down after playing with Harden and without Irving.
2. The Sixers fined Simmons rightly for not following league rules.
3.I think the Sixers won the short term and the Nets won long term.