The Nets and James Harden parted ways over a shared frustration that their “so called Big Three” just couldn’t get on the court together for any consistent stretch of games, Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said on Friday.
“These decisions to move on from a player like that, of that caliber, are never easy ones,” Marks said. “I think it’s just a feeling, it’s a feeling when, you know, look, this is not working, whether it’s on the court, off the court, for a variety of different circumstances. I give James credit for being open, upfront, and honest.”
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The Nets traded Harden Thursday after discussions over the last few days between Marks, Harden, and Brooklyn team owner Joseph Tsai made it clear the two sides should go in different directions. The Nets brought back Ben Simmons, who has not played this year for the 76ers, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks from Philadelphia. Marks said the Nets were willing to keep Harden and try to make it work this season if the Sixers weren’t willing to make their offer enticing enough, but also it was clear to the Nets that now was the time to make this franchise-shifting change.
Marks declined to say specifically what reasons Harden gave for his wanting to leave Brooklyn after less than two seasons, and only playoff run, other than this overarching frustration that the Nets’ triumvirate of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving only played in 16 games together.
Some of that is due to injury, and another part is Irving’s refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, which makes him ineligible to play in home games or games at Madison Square Garden, due to a city mandate. Marks said Harden never explicitly expressed frustration to him over Irving’s decision but conceded that it was likely one of a few factors.
“I probably wouldn’t be honest with myself if I thought we weren’t all frustrated that they couldn’t be together on the court at one time, and that being one of the reasons (Irving’s vaccine status), sure,” Marks said. “One is another is obviously injuries. We’ve seen Kevin have injuries, we’ve seen James have injuries, you know, there’s a lot of factors going in there.”
As for Simmons, who refused to play for the 76ers this season after star teammate Joel Embiid and coach Doc Rivers were both critical of him after a poor performance in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Hawks last summer, Marks said the 6-10 point-forward needs “a few practices” with his new team before the Nets would have any sense of when he might play for them. Simmons’ stated reason for not playing for the Sixers was mental health.
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“All I can tell you is he was ecstatic about the circumstances that he was walking into,” Marks said. “I think that’s cathartic unto itself. You know, when you have a guy who obviously needs, you know, everyone likes their arm around each other, and a hug every now and then, and support and so forth. And I think that’s how we’re going to go into this situation – with arms wide open.”
Curry is averaging a career-high 15.0 points this season and is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. He gives the Nets a sorely needed outside shooter that’s been missing since Joe Harris went out with ankle surgery. Drummond’s 6.1 ppg are a career low, but he’s still averaging nearly nine rebounds off the bench. He gives the Nets a big who can move and work the glass – something they haven’t had.
Finally, Marks said this is a trade that was speculated over in the media long before serious talks between himself and Sixers general manager Daryl Morey took place. So, from where did the speculation come? Harden could have been a free agent this summer, and reports indicated the Sixers were nearly certain Harden would not re-sign with the Nets, a scenario which, if true, would create more urgency to move him now. Marks stopped short of accusing the Sixers of tampering.
“It’s just the nature of the beast,” Marks said. “It’s just the nature of the world we’re in. I’m not going to start making accusations. This particular set of circumstances was played out in the media far earlier than any conversations were ever had. If this is where it ends up, that’ll be completely up to the league to look into these circumstances.”
(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty Images)
