The Brooklyn Nets trading for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett was often regarded as one of the worst trades in franchise history. The Brooklyn Nets gave away multiple future first-round picks in order to acquire the two veteran stars from the Boston Celtics. The Boston Celtics missed out on players such as Jaylen Brown and Collin Sexton by mortgaging those picks, while not even getting a championship for their trouble.
Despite the fact that the trade itself did not yield results on the court, it seems that there were other reasons that the Nets have done that. Former GM of the Brooklyn Nets Billy King has recently stated that that trade was done in order to have a shot at getting Kevin Durant.
Nets GM Billy King told me of Boston deal:
"The focus was Durant. It wasn't LeBron, it was: Do EVERYTHING we can to put ourselves in position to get Durant…I was in a position where he saw me—and knew. You just make sure that, if you do everything right, they take notice"(2/6)
— Matt Sullivan (@sullduggery) May 23, 2021
Billy King cont'd on #Nets selling farm for Big 3 in '13 to lure KD to BK in '16 free agency:
"We had done a great job with the branding & opening, & if we can be a playoff team, we can get on national TV, & when it came time, we would be able to get in the conversation." (3/6)
— Matt Sullivan (@sullduggery) May 23, 2021
#Nets wannabe Big 3 failed spectacularly, of course: Lost to Heat in '14 before LeBron went home. BK mgmt disassembled the roster, in part because then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov (suffering from US sanctions on Russia after Ukraine invasion) didn't want to pay NBA luxury tax. (4/6)
— Matt Sullivan (@sullduggery) May 23, 2021
So the Nets, under GM Sean Marks, relied on a roster of burnouts + castaways in 20 + 28-win seasons. 42 wins in '19. Kyrie signs. KD hurt in '19-20. Plague + protest follow. The Beard arrives in '21. And here we are tonight, with a Big 3 on the cusp of a dynasty for real? (5/6)
— Matt Sullivan (@sullduggery) May 23, 2021
The trade seemed to be in order to draw attention to the franchise, and be in the conversation to target Durant in free agency during the 2016 season. While we all know that he ended up going to the Golden State Warriors and winning two championships, it seems as though he did not forget about Brooklyn. He is now on the Brooklyn Nets, years after they originally tried to get him.
The current Brooklyn Nets superteam has parallels to the failed one with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The Brooklyn Nets mortgaged their future in order to acquire James Harden, hoping that this iteration of the team will win a championship. However, a team with James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving is hard to bet against, and they are most people’s favorite to win it all, given they’re healthy.
