Despite high hopes about how it would all go, James Harden’s tenure with the Brooklyn Nets was remarkably short.
The ten-time All-Star only played 80 games total for the Nets before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers last season.
When Harden left the Nets, there was a lot of speculation and rumors about why he was departing Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the squad after such a limited amount of time.
Now, more than a year later, Durant and Irving have also taken off from the Nets and Harden feels downright justified.
James Harden on his time with the Nets: "…fast forward to today, I don’t look like the crazy one. I don’t look like the quitter or whatever the media wanna call me. I knew what was going on and I just decided I’m not built for this. I don’t wanna deal with that…" (1/2)
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 12, 2023
Speaking about his troubled time with the team, Harden didn’t hold back:
“Fast forward to today, I don’t look like the crazy one. I don’t look like the quitter or whatever the media wanna call me. I knew what was going on and I just decided I’m not built for this. I don’t wanna deal with that.”
Harden then added, “I wanna play basketball and have fun and enjoy doing it. Fast forward to today, they got a whole new roster.”
Harden continued: " I wanna play basketball and have fun and enjoy doing it. Fast forward to today, they got a whole new roster."
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) February 12, 2023
It’s not exactly clear what Harden means when he said “I knew what was going on” within the team.
Is he referencing the front office or then-coach Steve Nash?
Is there any way he is instead talking about the relationship with both Durant and Irving?
Harden’s time in Brooklyn was not very successful, with a bunch of injuries slowing them down and preventing them from reaching the Finals as expected.
In fact, the last few years in general have been bad for the Nets, full of a lot of promise and very little to show for it.
That’s why it’s no surprise that the team has lost its coach and multiple huge stars over a short amount of time.
Now it is time for the team to start over and find success without these titans of the game.
We don’t know exactly why Harden left the Nets but few people are blaming him now.
NEXT: Spencer Dinwiddie Looked At Home On His New Team
