Houston Rockets star James Harden's trade request and preference for being dealt to the Nets seemed to have a common thread: Kevin Durant.

Harden and Durant had been teammates together in their early years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and there were rumors Durant was hoping to bring “The Beard” to Brooklyn.

Additionally, Kelly Iko and David Aldridge of The Athletic reported Harden “loved” the time he spent with Durant in OKC and would even watch old Thunder games.

However, the ever-elusive Durant shot down any notion he was recruiting Harden during the Nets' media day on Tuesday:

“I don't know where y'all get these stories from… Anyone can make up these stories (for clicks),” Durant said, via Matt Brooks of Nets Daily.

It seems unlikely Durant would ever cop to the rumors, even if they were true. That is simply the nature of his relationship with the media and with fans in general.

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Then again, the initial rumors of Durant's desire to team up with Harden also came from Chris Broussard, with whom he has quite the checkered past.

There has been endless discussion as to whether Harden-to-Brooklyn would work for the Nets.

Harden and Kyrie Irving are two ball-dominant players, prompting questions about there being enough balls to go around. Durant has ample experience playing with other superstars stemming from his time with the Golden State Warriors, but he is not indicating a preference one way or another.

In any case, Brooklyn's future ultimately rests with KD. The former MVP missed all of last season rehabbing his torn Achilles suffered in the 2019 Finals, but a healthy Durant–paired with Irving and some talented youngsters–instantly gives the Nets a better shot at winning a championship, with or without Harden on the roster.