After Harden left the Nets without hesitation, many people targeted Irving, and he was likely to be next. According to the famous Zach Lowey, in fact, the Nets previously introduced Harden out of dissatisfaction with Irving, because Irving refused to get vaccinated, and the Nets also refused to provide a new contract. If things continue to spiral out of control, it is not ruled out that the Nets will send Irving away.
After Harden left the team, the contradictions between Harden and Irving were gradually exposed by the media. It is reported that Irving and Harden do not like each other. Before the January 18 game against the Cavaliers, Irving, who was still worried about his cavalier career, actually burned sage before the game to get rid of negative energy, which made Harden, who was in the locker room at the time, stunned, "He looked at Irving's eyes, as if Irving had three heads." ”
Many people describe Harden's relationship with Irving, with the former angry and the latter not. When word spread about Harden's transfer, Durant forced him to stay, but Irving was happy to see it happen.
There are also reports that the Nets made Irving comeback as a turning point, and the Nets allowed Irving to play as a "part-time player", indicating the Nets' compromise with Irving, which also made Harden unhappy. From that moment on, Harden began to prepare to leave the Nets.
In fact, the Nets can't be unclear about these. Recently, it has also been reported that although Harden is always loyal to the Nets executives, because he did not hire agents, he will discuss leaving the team with various agents and third-party agent teams, and these eventually reached the ears of the Nets executives. After learning about Harden's idea of leaving the team, the Nets could not have been unaware that Harden was "forced away" by Irving.
According to Lowe, in fact, the Nets introduced Harden that year because Irving missed 7 consecutive games for no reason in January 2021. In order to ensure the stability of the team, the Nets extended an olive branch to Harden. In addition, the Nets could have reached an early contract extension with Irving in the 2021 offseason, but after Irving consistently refused to get vaccinated, the Nets withdrew the offer.
In summary, although the Nets sent Harden away, it does not mean that they have no opinion on Irving, nor does it mean that they do not understand what role Irving played in the process of Harden's departure, nor does it mean that they will turn a blind eye to Irving's actions. Lowe also said that if things continue to spiral out of control, the Nets may send Irving away, but for now, Irving's transaction value is lower than Harden's.
Today, some American netizens complained about Durant and Owen that their combined maturity is only equivalent to that of an eighth-grader. Harden is gone, and maybe it's Irving's turn next. (Supine Braces/Hairy)