The Brooklyn Nets have officially entered a new era after pulling off a blockbuster trade for James Harden as he is now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. It also appears an exit was going to happen sooner or later given Harden's rocky relationship with Kevin Durant.

The Beard and KD didn't see eye to eye all season and had clear animosity for months. Via Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report:

Durant had been discouraged by Harden since the Nets arrived in San Diego for training camp, according to sources familiar with both players.

The previous offseason, Los Angeles pickup runs with Durant and Irving planted the idea in Harden's mind to flee the Houston Rockets. This summer, Harden and Durant never entered the same gym, and Durant was disappointed by the poor conditioning Harden sported during those early Nets practices. Harden was also increasingly candid about wanting to test free agency for the first time.

It wasn't a concern at first. But Harden joined Brooklyn to be part of a Big Three. With Irving inactive, and a greater workload heaped onto Harden and Durant, a strain formed between the Nets' two active alphas.

“Kevin and James had a cold war going for the last several months that made everyone miserable,” one person with knowledge of the situation said.

Come December, word started to percolate around the NBA about a mounting disconnect between Harden and Durant, which was buoyed by Irving's absence. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid was reclaiming his MVP-caliber dominance from a season ago.

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Aside from Durant being very irritated by Harden's lack of conditioning, the Nets reportedly tried to tailor their offense around KD, which wasn't to the liking of Harden. He was even seen rolling his eyes on plays that were designed for Durant. The idea of Kyrie Irving playing in just half of the Nets' games really bothered The Beard as well, alongside the fact that Kyrie was actually okay with suiting up on a part-time basis, even come playoff time.

Harden wants a ring. It's clear. He didn't feel like that was going to happen with the Nets, which is fair enough. Meanwhile, Embiid was playing at an MVP level and essentially showcasing himself to find a co-star. James Harden is it.

Not an ideal ending to James Harden's tenure with the Nets, but this is just how the business goes sometimes.