Shaquille O’Neal believes the Brooklyn Nets should trade Kyrie Irving instead of James Harden: “James been there, he’s playing, he came here to try to win a championship”

The Brooklyn Nets' James Harden has been in the news a lot lately as there are rumors of him being part of a trade package with the Philadelphia 76ers to get Ben Simmons. There is no smoke without fire, which is why NBA analyst Shaquille O'Neal has expressed his disappointment with the development.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Harden is interested in joining the Sixers but is scared of the backlash if he openly requests a trade. The three-time scoring champ forced a trade from the Houston Rockets to join the Nets midway through the 2020-21 season and is reportedly concerned about how much heat he would get if he attempts the same.

Four-time NBA champion O'Neal commented on the rumors during The Big Podcast with Nischelle Turner and Spice Adams. He was upset with how the Nets were handling the situation and did not mince words.

O'Neal pointed out that he did not understand why the franchise was considering trading James Harden and would have been more comfortable if Kyrie Irving was the one being traded.

"I think it's disrespectful when an organization doesn't tell you what they doing when it comes to your livelihood. His name shouldn't have been on the table, if it wasn't on the table it won't have gotten to the blogs. And the fact that's it's on the blocks and that he has to find out about it, I think it's very disrespectful."

"They need to trade the other guy. Let's just put that out on the table."

Nischelle asked if it was Kyrie he was referring to as "the other guy" and Shaq concurred.

"James been there, he's been playing. He came there to try to win the championship. He's doing that under a lot of circumstances. So, trade him why? Trade him for what?"

It is a few hours to the end of the trade deadline and the story is still unfolding. But with rumors of the Nets entertaining offers and Harden wanting to get traded but being scared to speak up about it, there is a chance that a deal might be made before the deadline. That way, the Nets get something of value in return instead of waiting until the summer and letting him walk as a free agent.

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James Harden is currently out with a hamstring injury

James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets handles the ball as Kyle Kuzma #33 of the Washington Wizards

James Harden has missed three games due to a hamstring injury and will miss the matchup against the Washington Wizards later tonight. Per ESPN writer Zach Lowe, Harden is one of two players who did not travel with the team.

Harden's performance has been a disappointment this season. The All-Star guard has not played his best brand of basketball despite having occasional bursts of brilliance.

Nonetheless, he was selected as a reserve for the 2022 All-Star game, which will mark his 10th appearance in the event. In 44 games played, Harden is averaging 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 10.2 assists while shooting 41.4% from the field, the worst since his rookie season.