Harden picked last in All-Star Draft as KD refuses to pick him

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

James Harden picked last in All-Star Draft as Kevin Durant refuses to pick him

By Adam Stites | Last updated 2/10/22

James Harden is no longer a member of the Brooklyn Nets after he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday and Kevin Durant evidently isn't in a hurry to play with him again.

Durant and the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James picked teams for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game on Thursday night and neither wanted to pick the 2018 MVP. When just two players were left on the board — Harden and Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz — James and the Inside the NBA crew couldn't contain their laughter as Durant rationalized his selection of Gobert.

oh my god pic.twitter.com/R72GonUaZm
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 11, 2022

When James asked if Harden was even healthy enough to play after missing the Nets' last three games due to a hamstring injury, Charles Barkley joked that he's no longer injured after getting traded.

Harden was sent to the 76ers just ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks. The deal happened shortly after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Harden was hoping for a trade to Philadelphia, but didn't want to formally request one.

Brooklyn has lost nine consecutive games with Durant sidelined due to an MCL sprain suffered in January.

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