LeBron clowns Durant for Harden trade at 2022 NBA All-Star Draft

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 18: James Harden #13 of the Brooklyn Nets guards LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second quarter at Staples Center on February 18, 2021 in Los Angeles, California, LeBron clowns Durant for Harden trade at 2022 NBA All-Star Draft. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

The NBA trade deadline stole the show on Thursday, but it wasn’t the only event that the league had going on. Later in the night, the 2022 NBA All-Star Draft took place.

LeBron James is the captain of the Western Conference, and even though he won’t be participating in the weekend’s festivities, Kevin Durant is the captain of the Eastern Conference.

The night was fun, with the draft running fairly smoothly. The full rosters can be found below:

But the actual draft isn’t what stole the show. Instead, it was the constant flow of subtle jabs being taken at Kevin Durant and James Harden throughout the event.

Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers at the deadline by the Brooklyn Nets, leaving Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving behind in New York to fend for themselves (alongside Ben Simmons).

LeBron clowns Durant for Harden trade at 2022 NBA All-Star Draft

Charles Barkley spearheaded the joke as multiple players continued to fall off the board. He egged on LeBron James, who continuously left Harden on the board so Durant would be forced to either pick him or leave him up as well.

One could probably guess what happened.

In the end, Durant chose Rudy Gobert over Harden, making him the final selection in the draft. The moment was pure comedy as James hid his face behind his clipboard, laughing at the interaction.

At one point during the show, Durant stated that “everyone got what they wanted” in the Harden trade, and that he’s looking forward to competing for the playoffs with the new guys on the squad moving forward.

However, that wasn’t the end of the hilarity for the night. When the draft concluded, Durant asked James about a potential trade. He wanted to add Darius Garland to his All-Star squad.

LeBron’s reply? – “You not done making trades for the day?”

It was the perfect way to wrap up an insanely funny draft segment that ended up just being LeBron and the TNT crew harassing Durant about the Harden trade.

Make sure to go check out the full segment if you haven’t already. The NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, February 20.