Make no mistake, James Harden and Kyrie Irving did not mesh.
With Harden now out of Brooklyn, having been traded at the deadline to the 76ers for a package centering around Ben Simmons, some of the details are now getting out.
According to The Athletic, one tale from the Nets locker room this season involved Irving burning sage — a practice he does on occasion. On Jan. 17 in Cleveland, though, Irving did it as part of a Native American ritual to cleanse negative energy.
Harden, per The Athletic, “looked at Kyrie like he had three heads” during one of the acts.
“Definitely a weird vibe between them,” A source is quoted as saying. “You could tell Harden was announced, and Kyrie wasn’t feeling James.”
The first signs of trouble with regard to Harden’s future in Brooklyn came when he didn’t sign a contract extension before this season, but things spiraled more recently.
James Harden didn’t quite see eye-to-eye with Kyrie IrvingCharles Wenzelberg / New York Post (2)
Injuries to Harden and Kevin Durant, coupled with Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated for COVID-19, meant the team’s Big 3 barely got on the court together all season. Upon Irving’s reinstatement to the team in January, things actually got worse — the Nets haven’t won since Jan. 22, losing 113-112 to the Wizards on Thursday night, and have fallen from first in the East standings to a play-in spot.
Whether trading for Simmons, who has yet to play a game this season, helps solve the problem is an open question, but it was clear that something needed to change. The Athletic notes that, upon hearing Harden wanted a trade, a source says Irving was eager to see it happen.
Now, he’s got his wish. And the spotlight will continue to be trained on him for the rest of the season.
