James Harden declined to go too deep into what made him decide that he no longer wanted to be with the Nets, but he did seem to express a frustration that he felt he was once again doing the heavy lifting, like he was with the Rockets just over a year ago.
"I don't really want to get into the Brooklyn situation," Harden said during his introductory press conference with the 76ers on Tuesday. "I had to go to Brooklyn, which we all know that could've been something special."
But Harden said Philadelphia was his top choice all along, even before he was traded to Brooklyn. But he appeared to be joining one of the top offensive trios of all time in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but with Durant had been injured for much of Harden's Nets tenure, and Irving was out for nearly all of this season before returning in a part-time role because of his vaccination status.
"Everything was on me [in Houston], and same in the last situation," Haden said. "For me, it made sense. I needed to be around guys that I know want to win and are willing to do whatever it takes to win."
Harden did say that Irving's vaccination status was not a major factor in his decision to request another change of scenery, but that it has had an effect on his former team.
"Very minimal, honestly. Me and Kai are really good friends," Harden said. "Whatever he was going through or is still going through, that's his personal preference. But it definitely did impact the team. Me, Kyrie, and KD on the court, and winning covers up a lot of that stuff. It was unfortunate that we only played 16 games out of whatever it was. It is what it is."
Whatever the reasons were behind Harden's decision, he is now getting set to play for his third team in just over a year after requesting two trades. But he insists he is finally where he always wanted to be.
"It wasn't planned like this. Fourteen months ago I didn't see myself with three different teams, but I'm here now, and I'm happy," Harden said. "The last year has been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of stress. But that's in the past. I'm excited, I'm healthy, and it's the opportunity of a lifetime."
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