James Harden himself has already denied reports about how he's unhappy with his current situation with the Brooklyn Nets. However, as most suspect, there's much more to this issue than what's on the surface. Despite Harden's denial, the narrative just won't go away. The same can be said about rumors pertaining to a possible move away from Brooklyn as the trade deadline quickly approaches.

According to Sam Amick and Alex Schiffer of The Athletic, the harsh reality behind all this is that Harden truly is discontented with how his time with the Nets has panned out. As it turns out, this all boils down to how he's pretty much been left to be the main man in Brooklyn amid the team's myriad of injuries and other issues:

While Harden has thrown hints that he’s not crazy about Irving’s part-time status, a source with knowledge of Harden’s thinking said he’s frustrated in general with his Nets tenure. He came to Brooklyn expecting to be part of a three-headed monster, yet has played a similar role to what was required of him in Houston: having to be the guy. While Irving’s part-time status is unprecedented, a source aware of the team’s thinking said the 6-foot-2 point guard’s situation hasn’t been as much of a problem as one would expect because he’s played hard when available, albeit in a limited capacity.

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Harden served as the Houston Rockets' cornerstone superstar for many years. If the above report is true then it sounds like the former league MVP's move to the Nets was also motivated by his desire for a lighter load at this point in his career. This clearly hasn't been the case for the most part of the season with Kevin Durant sidelined by injury and Kyrie Irving taking on a part-time status.

Previous reports also suggested that Harden could force his way out of Brooklyn prior to next week's trade deadline. The Philadelphia 76ers have been heavily linked to a swoop for the nine-time All-Star. He built a strong relationship with Sixers president Daryl Morey during their time together in Houston and it appears that a reunion between this pair in Philly is becoming more and more feasible. Nets