"It shocked a lot of people, it shocked me": Kyrie Irving shares true feelings on Nets trading James Harden for Ben Simmons

The Brooklyn Nets shocked the NBA at the start of the decade, signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in blockbuster deals. In January 2021, they formed a big three by adding James Harden, but the trio never clicked, and "The Beard" was traded for Ben Simmons a year later.

In a livestream on Twitch, Irving shared his thoughts on the trade, claiming that the news came as a "shock."

"When that trade happened, it shocked a lot of people. It shocked me. S*it, I was talking to James one day, and I'm like, 'S*it, bro, we're about to win these championships.' And a day later, he asked for a trade. I was like, 'Oh shoot, okay.' S"it like that now — okay, I can't be mad," Irving said.

The guard extended an olive branch to his former teammate. Irving believes Harden was doing what was best for him but felt the trade wasn't "fair."

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"We have a situation that Ben is dealing with, where everybody is trying to micromanage the spun narrative," he said. "I didn't feel like that was a fair trade. But at the same time, when it happened, he (Harden) went to our division. He went to Philly."

Kyrie Irving offered his thoughts on the trade saga while watching a clip from LeBron James' Mind the Game podcast. In the video, Kevin Durant and Steve Nash opened up on their tenures with the Nets, prompting the Mavs star to offer his views on the subject.

Brooklyn’s dynasty crumbled almost as quickly as it had come together. Despite all the promise and star power, the Nets never really lived up to their full potential.

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Kyrie Irving reflects on Ime Udoka joining the Celtics after stint with Brooklyn Nets: "Boston was ready for us"

Kyrie Irving’s time with the Brooklyn Nets had its highs and lows. During a livestream on Tuesday, he reflected on that chapter of his career, including Ime Udoka's move to the Boston Celtics.

"Ime Udoka literally went to the Boston Celtics after coaching with us," he said. "Can you imagine going against the coach that literally saw all of our strengths and weaknesses, and now we’re playing against him? So Boston was ready for us."

Udoka spent a season in Brooklyn before heading to Boston and helped the Celtics sweep the Nets in the first round of the 2022 Eastern Conference playoffs.

Edited by Bhargav