James Harden trade 'has nothing to do with' Kyrie Irving's absence, Nets general manager says

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Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks made a blockbuster deal by acquiring James Harden from the Houston Rockets on Wednesday afternoon.

Marks said that the decision to bring in the superstar had nothing to do with Kyrie Irving, who’s been missing from the team.

Marks did mention that Irving is looking forward to rejoining the Nets soon.

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"Kyrie's absence and the personal issues he's dealing with has nothing to do with us going after and attaining James Harden," Marks said. "I have talked to Kyrie so I know he's excited about getting back on the court with his teammates as soon as possible."

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Irving has been absent from Brooklyn’s last five games since Jan. 5 due to personal reasons.

Late Monday, videos surfaced on Instagram of Irving at a birthday party for his older sister Asia, and father Dredrick. And just before the Nets took the floor against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, Irving was captured on a volunteer organizing Zoom call for Tahanie Aboushi’s campaign for district attorney of Manhattan.

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Whenever Irving decides to return to the floor for the Nets, Marks expects the trio of Irving, Harden, and Kevin Durant to be motivated to bring an NBA championship to Brooklyn.

"They've said they want to play together," Marks said via HoopsHype. "They can see this fitting. I think they understand there's going to be nights where one or two needs to sacrifice for the other. I think they're all looking for that common goal to be the last team standing."