Kevin Durant Passes on James Harden 7 Times in NBA All-Star Draft After 76ers Trade
As a captain of one of the All-Star teams, it was fair to wonder how Kevin Durant would handle the draft that included his former teammate James Harden, who was traded Thursday.
We found out during the All-Star draft as Durant completely passed on selecting Harden, leaving him to be taken by LeBron James with the last pick.
Durant justified his decision to use his last pick on Rudy Gobert, saying he needed size on his team. James was visibly amused by the situation and hid his face behind a clipboard.
James also wondered out loud about the health of Harden, who has missed time recently with left hamstring tightness:
Harden was traded from the Brooklyn Nets along with Paul Millsap to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and draft picks, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal likely needed the approval of Durant, who is Brooklyn's most important player.
Durant will miss the All-Star Game for the second year in a row because of a sprained MCL, so there won't be any awkward run-ins on the court between him and Harden during the game on Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
