With how well James Harden has been playing for the Sixers in his first few games for his new team, it's almost easy to set aside all the drama that led to the former MVP's shocking move to Philadelphia. It somehow feels like Harden's decision to force his way out of the Brooklyn Nets happened several months ago. It's been three weeks.

There have been so many different narratives about why Harden decided to jump ship from Brookly barely one year after joining the team. One of the more intriguing storylines centered around his relationship with Kyrie Irving. More details have now emerged and as it turns out, Irving may have truly played a key role in Harden's decision to leave.

According to NBA insider Ian Begley of SNY, Harden wasn't too happy about Irving's refusal to get vaccinated:

According to a source, the prospect of playing the Raptors in the postseason was one of the reasons James Harden was concerned about Irving’s vaccine status earlier in the season. Harden, as you know, forced a trade from Brooklyn to the Philadelphia 76ers prior to the deadline.

This makes a lot of sense. Right now, Irving is still banned from playing in homes games. This will only change if and when the city of New York decides to lift its vaccine mandate. Or if Irving somehow changes his stance completely and decides to get vaccinated. While it's the former that is looking more likely to actually happen, neither is guaranteed at this point.

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It's a whole different story in Canada, though, where their policies on vaccination remain stringent. Simply put, Irving won't be allowed to play in Toronto when the Raptors host the Nets. Apparently, this was the main issue for Harden.

Based on how tight things are right now in the East, it's very much possible that the Nets face off against the Raptors in the playoffs, or perhaps even in the play-in tournament. Provided that there are no changes on vaccine mandates between today and the playoffs, then Brooklyn will be without Irving for the entirety of a potential series matchup against the Raptors. Harden just wasn't on board with this and it was likely a major consideration for him when he decided that his time with the Nets was over.