The Brooklyn Nets ended one big three with the hopes of forming another on Thursday when the team pulled off a trade deadline swap with the Philadelphia 76ers. The deal was headlined by Philly landing James Harden and Ben Simmons heading to Brooklyn, ending two of the most high-profile sagas we have had in the NBA this year.
The trade happened right around lunchtime on Thursday, and later in the day, Kevin Durant was put into a position to respond. Durant and LeBron James are the two captains for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, and on the heels of the deadline, the pair went onto TNT to select their teams ahead of the league’s upcoming trip to Cleveland. Durant was asked to give his thoughts on the trade, and gave an answer that made clear that something was amiss in Brooklyn.
“I think everybody got what they wanted.”@KDTrey5 reacts to the Harden-Simmons trade. pic.twitter.com/6XWIgtrMVM
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 10, 2022
“I’m excited for our team,” Durant said. “Looking forward to finishing the season out with this new group and these new players. The playoffs are right around the corner, we gotta fast track into getting used to each other. But I’m excited, I think everybody got what they wanted.”
When asked by Charles Barkley if the Nets have a psychiatrist on staff because of everything that’s going on in Brooklyn, Durant replied, “What I gotta deal with? I’m making millions of dollars playing basketball.” Soon after, Durant picked Harden’s new teammate Joel Embiid with his first pick in All-Star draft.