By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash discussed facing James Harden on Thursday for the first time since the latter was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden has not yet specified the reasons he wanted out of Brooklyn, though in a press conference upon his arrival to the Sixers he noted that Irving’s vaccination status had an impact on him and could be a justification behind his move.
However, Irving, who most recently led the Nets back from a four-game skid with a 50-piece, has no hard feelings for Harden, though he wished there was ‘better communication’.
“I thought we were in a good swing, but everybody has their own visions starting off seasons,” Irving told reporters after Nets’ win over Hornets. “Everybody has their own visions starting off their careers and ending their careers. If that’s what James wanted, then I respect his decision and that’s just what it is. I wish him nothing but peace and love. We have a great friendship, but it didn’t work out. I wish things could have been communicated better for all of us as men, but hey, no hard feelings here with me or anyone else.”
“We’re still in the same league. It’s not like we’re going to see him somewhere different where we’re not going to see him again and we’re not going to see him in the summertime. It’s great for the league to build up things like this, but we have a group in our locker room that we just want to be mature about going into Philly and handling business and then moving on”, added Irving.
Durant had his own explanation for Harden’s move, citing the aging factor and how that could have affected his former teammate.
“When you look at it from his perspective, and you look up and Ky’s not playing and then I’m injured, he hasn’t won a championship before so he’s looking at — he’s 32 years old, I guess, he’s looking at himself, wanting to make a decision to get on a team that can kind of get into that contending, being one of the last teams standing”, he mentioned.
Coach Nash was more reserved in his comments, and stated the following: “It will be a different feeling to play against him soon after the trade,” he said. “But it will be an exciting night for everyone to play and I’m sure the energy will be high. It will be a competitive game.”
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