James Harden has departed the Brooklyn Nets for the Philadelphia 76ers after reports suggested the ex-Houston Rockets star pretty much requested a trade. And that trade request may very well have had something to do with Kyrie Irving and the Toronto Raptors.
Ian Begley of SNY on Friday reported that Irving being unvaccinated against COVID-19 was something that worried Harden, because it affected Irving's availability.
"According to a source, the prospect of playing the Raptors in the postseason was one of the reasons James Harden was concerned about Irving's vaccine status earlier in the season," Begley wrote.
Irving has been unavailable to play at Brooklyn’s Barclays Arena home and in Canada due to vaccine mandates.
Interestingly enough, if the season had ended Friday (before that night's games tipped off), the Nets would play the Raptors on the road in a play-in game, and Irving would be unavailable, as noted by Begley.
Following the trade, Harden revealed Irving's vaccine status did play a role in his desire to leave the club, albeit "very minimally."
"Obviously me and Kyrie are really good friends," Harden told reporters last month, as shared by NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Whatever he was going through or is still going through, that's his personal preference. But it did definitely impact the team."
As Begley points out, the Nets have three consecutive t road games coming up -- including one Saturday against the Boston Celtics -- but after that, Irving will miss nine of Brooklyn's last 15 games.
Harden likely won't have to worry about it too much heading into the early rounds of the postseason, since the surging 76ers are 38-23 and in second place in the Eastern Conference.
