Report: Nets Blame Kyrie Irving for Kevin Durant, James Harden Superteam Breaking Up

There was a time when the Brooklyn Nets looked like a superteam with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden all in the same lineup during parts of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, but it resulted in zero championships, plenty of headlines and all three on separate clubs by the end of this season's trade deadline.

Many in the Nets organization reportedly blame Irving for that.

Harden, who is now with the Philadelphia 76ers, turned heads Saturday when he told reporters his time in Brooklyn was "frustrating" but that he no longer looks like the "quitter":

Those comments led to a discussion between ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Nick Friedell on the Hoop Collective podcast (30-minute mark):

Friedell: "The consensus in talking to the other writers after we walked out and listened to him crush the situation and crush the fact that the organization didn't do more to try and bring him back, the person he was talking to is Kyrie Irving."

Windhorst: "My read on his quotes—not having been there and reading the quotes—I mean, he didn't absolve the Nets, but my read on it was that he was basically saying this is Kyrie's fault."

Friedell: "100 percent, that was my read, too, standing there. That goes to what all the people in the Nets organization feel. Do I think there was frustration with KD at the very end, especially after what occurred over the summer? Sure. But there was a respect level that Kevin had come in there every day, and as the star of the team had put in the work to earn the respect from top to bottom in the organization. Kyrie, it's all been well-documented, he just could not be counted on to be out there every night."

Irving missed significant time last season because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 and was not eligible to play in home games due to New York City laws. He also took an unexpected absence during the 2020-21 campaign.

Brooklyn traded Harden to the 76ers last season and moved Irving (Dallas Mavericks) and Durant (Phoenix Suns) this season.

The failed grouping of so many stars remains one of the biggest what-ifs in recent NBA history, but they are all chasing a championship on their own at this point.