Former OKC Teammate Makes Damning Revelations About Kevin Durant and James Harden’s Relationship

Published 02/10/2022, 10:58 PM EST

With the trade deadline almost coming to an end, things got wild. The Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers combined for a blockbuster trade to swap James Harden and Ben Simmons. While Kevin Durant and Harden were teammates with the Nets, things looked great between them. However, while on ESPN, former teammate Kendrick Perkins made an interesting revelation about their relationship prior to being teammates.

Kendrick Perkins just said on ESPN that James Harden and Kevin Durant didn't speak "for years" after Durant chose to sign with Golden State. Harden tried to recruit Durant to Houston after the 41-41 2016 season and he didn't even take a meeting with the Rockets
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) February 10, 2022

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Perkins claimed that KD and Harden didn’t speak to each other for years. This all happened because the Slim Reaper didn’t entertain the Rockets as a possible destination in 2016.

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In 2016, the NBA saw one of the most shocking moves in history. A young Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors after suffering a defeat to them in the prior season’s playoffs. The entire league was in shambles after the move. However, Harden tried to bring KD to Houston. But it seems he had no interest.

James Harden and Kevin Durant’s rocky relationship

The Beard started off his career as a teammate of KD. They played together in OKC and were close to creating a solid team. However, before that could happen, Harden moved to Houston, as he wanted a bigger role. Then in 2016, the news of Durant wanting to test the market came out. This is when Harden tried to bring him into Houston to be teammates. However, Durant didn’t even attend a meeting with the team.

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According to Perk, this caused a big dent in their relationship. He said they didn’t speak “for years” after KD’s decision to join the Warriors without entertaining the Rockets as an option. His lack of efforts did not sit well with the Beard and the two were not on good terms.

While nothing is confirmed about their relationship prior to being Nets teammates, we could see it go a similar route this time around. The script is flipped, with Harden being the one leaving Durant behind. And with KD’s nature, it is likely the two will have a hostile relationship following his departure. However, only time will reveal the answer as the All-Star game approaches.

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Do you think James Harden and Kevin Durant will be friends after the recent trade? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.

Former OKC Teammate Makes Damning Revelations About Kevin Durant and James Harden’s Relationship

James Harden and Kevin Durant’s rocky relationship

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