Kevin Durant and James Harden had a rocky relationship when the two were teammates with the Nets, according to ESPN’s Kenny Arnovitz, and one of the main reasons was Harden’s conditioning.
During Harden’s last days with the Rockets, much was made of his weight and less-than-ideal physique while looking to be traded. But he was eventually dealt to the Nets in a blockbuster trade to join Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn in January 2021. However, after a disappointing loss to the Bucks in the Eastern Conference playoffs, Durant was surprised at just how bad Harden had let himself go at the start of training camp for the 2021-22 season, per ESPN.