The Brooklyn Nets didn't want to trade James Harden, but it finally became clear that it was the best path forward to send him to the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster deal involving Ben Simmons and much more. Harden didn't want to play for the Nets anymore and wanted to go to the Sixers, so it was time to pull the trigger ahead of the trade deadline.

Thus ended the grand “scary hours” experiment with Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. They only played in 16 total games together over the course of the last two seasons. That's certainly not what Nets general manager Sean Marks envisioned when he gave up the farm to add Harden to the core of Durant and Irving.

Friday, Marks addressed the decision to trade Harden:

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

When the Nets acquired Harden from the Houston Rockets for an enormous haul last season, they seemed destined to dominate the NBA for years to come. Instead, injuries ruined last season and this season. Plus, Kyrie's unwillingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine has made him a part-time player, further hurting Brooklyn's chances.

Harden became disenchanted with the whole situation, leading to a desire to go to Philly, his other choice last season. The Nets could have kept Harden past the deadline in an attempt to win a championship, but the writing was on the wall and Marks decided it was just best to get the trade over with now so they could get a number of key pieces back.

How this turns out for Brooklyn this season will be fascinating. The Nets have lost 10 games in a row, Simmons won't be able to play right away, KD is still out with a knee injury and Kyrie still won't get the vaccine. Where will they be in the standings when they can all play together?

Regardless of that, Marks knew what had to be done and bit the bullet to get it done.