Kevin Garnett, left, and Paul Pierce were sent from the Celtics to the Nets 10 years ago, and Boston is still reaping the benefits of that trade. Kathy Willens/Associated Press
NEW YORK — The NBA, by nature of the CBA and career timelines, is cyclical. One moment a team is in the conference finals, the next it’s toiling through a rebuild. Just ask the Thunder. And the Rockets.
Very rarely does a trade bring heavy repercussions a decade later. But there weren’t many moves like the Boston-Nets swap on June 28, 2013. It became THE cautionary tale for teams eager to sacrifice draft assets for a shot at a title, setting off a five-year trend of reluctance to part with unprotected picks. It took Toronto’s deal for Kawhi Leonard in 2018 to reset that market — and now we’re seeing another reverse following that outrageously priced deal for Rudy Gobert.
On the 10-year anniversary of the Nets-Celtics trade, we’ll take a look at the major characters involved, what happened to them, and how the negotiations shaped two franchises:
THE DEAL
* Nets receive: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, DJ White, Jason Terry and a 2017 first-round pick
* Celtics receive: Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, Gerald Wallace, three unprotected first-round picks (2014, 2016, 2018) and a pick swap.
THE PLAYERS
Paul Pierce: Played fine in his lone season with the Nets, helping the franchise win a playoff series with some heroic moments against the Raptors. But the overall underwhelming team results prompted owner Mikhail Prokhorov to reverse course and cut off spending, sending Pierce to Washington in free agency. The Hall of Famer played three more seasons after the Brooklyn stint. His post-retirement career as an ESPN analyst was cut short by Pierce’s Instagram Live session involving marijuana and strippers. He re-emerged in a podcast with Garnett, which also went haywire recently because of Pierce’s erratic behavior in an episode filmed in Las Vegas.
Kevin Garnett: Was physically diminished by the time he arrived in Brooklyn and, along with Pierce, was surprised by the lack of structure and desire inside the team. His production fell off a cliff with the Nets and Garnett was traded midway through his second season. He returned to his original team – the Timberwolves – and transitioned to a media career. He also appeared as himself in Adam Sandler’s film, “Uncut Gems.”
Jason Terry: Came to Brooklyn with a sore knee that required surgery. He played only 35 with the Nets and was traded midseason to the Kings for Marcus Thornton, whose Brooklyn career was also a dud. Terry is now an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz.
Six others: Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, DJ White and Kris Joseph were mostly fillers from the Nets to match salaries with the Celtics. Brooklyn had to attach another first-rounder to shed the contract of Wallace, who was on a decline physically. About a year prior, the Nets traded a first-round pick to acquire Wallace from the Blazers. That pick became Damian Lillard. Wallace played out his contract with the Celtics and retired.
At last check, Wallace was enjoying country life with his own personal lake in Alabama. Humphries, who gained TMZ fame as Kim Kardashian’s first husband, played on multiple teams until retiring in 2017. He joined the franchise dining business and recently brought Dave’s Hot Chicken to Minnesota (he also opened multiple Five Guys franchises). Brooks, the best young prospect in the trade, played last season in China. Bogans is an assistant coach with the Pistons.
THE PICKS
James Young: The first pick conveyed to the Celtics didn’t amount to much. He was chosen 17th overall in 2014 out of Kentucky but only managed 95 NBA games before jumping to the G League and overseas. He played last season in Greece.
Jaylen Brown: By 2016 the Nets were terrible and the Celtics cashed in with the third overall pick, which became one of the league’s best two-way wings. Brown, still just 26, became an All-NBA Second Team selection last season. He’s likely to sign a max extension this offseason, making him one of the NBA’s highest-paid players and a foundational piece to a championship contender.
Jayson Tatum: The pick swap was the killer. After finishing with the league’s worst record in 2017, the Nets had to give up the first overall pick to Boston – which traded it for the third choice and drafted Tatum. Already a top-five player, Tatum might already be the NBA’s best American player. The Celtics are an automatic title contender with him on the roster.
Collin Sexton: The Celtics traded their 2018 pick to the Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving, a move that backfired because Irving is unreliable. Sexton, who was traded from Cleveland to Utah for Donovan Mitchell last year, is an electric scorer as a point guard but only managed 59 combined games over the last two seasons because of injuries.
THE OTHER MAIN CHARACTERS
Danny Ainge: About eight years after fleecing the Nets, the former Celtics’ top executive left to run the Utah Jazz — where he started a rebuild and fleeced the Timberwolves in similar fashion. Ainge, now 64, is again loaded with future draft picks and is waiting to cash in.
Billy King: The former GM lasted 1 1/2 more seasons in Brooklyn before being replaced by Sean Marks. He then transitioned to media appearances and as an agent. In 2022, King was named a senior partner of an advisory firm — Modern Executive Solutions — that helps identify candidates for sports executive positions.
Mikhail Prokhorov: Joined the NBA with bombast and left with a whimper. Prokhorov sold the Nets in 2018 to Joe Tsai after just eight years of ownership, leaving the impression that he was more interested in the profit – or reportedly appeasing Vladimir Putin’s pressures – than winning a championship. The Nets briefly recovered from the trade by signing Kevin Durant and Irving, but the tandem was a disaster and traded last season.
Deron Williams: The 2013 trade was built around the idea of Williams being a superstar leader, but the point guard became an utter disappointment and was disliked by teammates, including Joe Johnson. Williams retired in 2017 at just 32 years old after averaging one point in the NBA Finals as the Cavaliers’ starting point guard. More recently, Williams beat former NFL running back Frank Gore in a celebrity boxing match.
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