NBA Rumors: James Harden reassured former teammate multiple times about extending with the Brooklyn Nets

James Harden reportedly made some promises to Kevin Durant prior to the season, which surfaced on Thursday’s “RealGM” article courtesy of Logan Murdock.

Harden reportedly reassured Kevin Durant that he would sign an extension with the Nets.

According to the article, James Harden and Kevin Durant went on a trip to Greece together in the summer as their friendship began to blossom off the court. Sources had told Murdock of “The Ringer” that James had told Durant that he was going to sign an extension with the team. Harden reassured his teammates that his plans in Brooklyn were long term.

James Harden's departure from Brooklyn

On February 10, 2022, moments before the trade deadline ended, the Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden and Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two first-round picks.

The trade shocked the NBA world as most assumed that James had long-term plans in Brooklyn. The trio of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving, had really yet to had been tested at full strength. As a result, many fans around the world had been waiting patiently to see the trio in full stride. Unfortunately, that never happened.

As Kyrie Irving’s personal decision to remain unvaccinated started to impact the team's ability to win, and with Kevin Durant dealing with injuries, James Harden decided to move away.

Harden’s reasoning for leaving seemed to be that he was hungrier for the championship this year than his teammates in Brooklyn. As a result, he needed to move into a squad that had better chances of doing so.

James leaving Brooklyn was hard enough for Nets fans, but now that the knowledge of a broken word has surfaced, they are sure to feel more upset.

However, his departure does not seem to have affected their on-field performances a lot.

Since joining Philly, Harden has averaged 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 9.8 assists. Harden is 0.2 assists away from averaging a double-double across his first 15 performances for the 76ers.

The Brooklyn Nets still stand in the same place they did when James left. The Nets are currently in 8th place in the Eastern Conference with 40 wins and 37 losses.

Harden and the 76ers on the other hand, currently stand 4th in the Eastern Conference with 46 wins to 30 losses. It looks like the trade has panned out in Harden’s favor, but the offseason will be the true tell.