Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are now one of the best duos in the NBA. This was not always the case, and many suggested that the Celtics should break up the duo. Tatum even referenced this while hugging Brown after the duo reached the NBA Finals.
It is very rare in the NBA for teams to be able to draft two young players back to back and develop them into a successful tandem.
The Celtics really benefitted from drafting the right players and getting them to play well alongside each other. But the draft picks that turned out to be Tatum and Brown actually came their way in 2013, as part of an infamous trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
In what is considered one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, the Brooklyn Nets traded for aging superstars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, along with Jason Terry and DJ White, ahead of the 2013 NBA Draft.
In exchange for the players, the Nets sent Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, and Keith Bogans to the Celtics. Along with that, they sent the Celtics 3 first-round picks and a pick swap. The 2016 first-round pick turned out to be Jaylen Brown, and the 2017 first-round pick became Jayson Tatum.
This Celtics and Nets trade from 2013 is still crazy. 😳
(h/t @_Talkin_NBA) pic.twitter.com/oHtcWBa3V3
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 31, 2022
This deal is often considered one of the worst trades in NBA history, as the Nets gave up valuable first-round picks for years that had some great draft classes. And their trade came full circle, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown helped the Celtics eliminate the Nets from the playoffs in a sweep this year.
Garnett and Pierce, while being great players, were no longer able to play at a superstar level anymore. And for the Nets to give up as much as they did to acquire them was quite ridiculous.
The trade would end up setting the Nets franchise back by years, and they’ve only recently become a winning team thanks to the arrival of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But the Nets will only consider KD and Kyrie’s tenure with the team successful if they can bring an NBA championship to the franchise.
