While the Brooklyn Nets aren’t considered a poverty franchise, they have made their share of mistakes over the years.
In 2013, the Nets made arguably the biggest mistake in franchise history.
“No one does regrettable deals quite like Brooklyn,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote last Thursday. “Not in the modern NBA, at least. The Nets flipped the first-round pick that became Damian Lillard for 16 months of Gerald Wallace, and that face-palm wasn’t even seriously considered here. (What was, though, was the Jan. 2021 trade for James Harden that cost the Nets four players—including Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert—three-first round picks and four first-round pick swaps.)”
“Yet, this July 2013 megatrade doomed the Nets like no other. Brooklyn thought it was putting the finishing touches on a title team. Turns out, they were just loading up for a second-round exit, as (Paul) Pierce was gone the following offseason and (Kevin) Garnett moved on at the 2015 trade deadline.”
“Boston, meanwhile, spent two of the incoming picks on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—the pillars of its 2024 title team and centerpieces of potential championships to come.”
“It’s the kind of disastrous outcome that could scare the Nets away from the superteam model for good.”
The Nets flamed out in the first round of the 2013 playoffs, prompting them to complete a blockbuster trade with the Celtics during free agency.
Brooklyn acquired Garnett and Pierce by trading away Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph, and three future first-round picks. The trade also allowed Boston to exchange first-round picks with the Nets in the 2017 draft.
In addition to failing to reach the finals in 2014, the Nets eventually had to start from scratch after losing their two main trade acquisitions. Pierce signed with the Wizards during the 2014 offseason, and Garnett was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves midway through the 2014-15 season.
On the other hand, the Celtics are thriving with Brooklyn’s 2016 and 2017 first-round picks. Last season, Brown and Tatum helped the Celtics secure title No. 18, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
At the time, the Nets thought investing in Pierce and Garnett made sense while they were still valuable assets.
However, if Brooklyn could return to the 2013 offseason, they would likely go down a different route.
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