Nets Still Haunted by Trade Over a Decade Later

The Brooklyn Nets are still suffering from their past.

Feb 14, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives the ball against Brooklyn Nets forward Trendon Watford (9) in the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets are in the midst of a rebuild, but a decision made 11 years ago could have prevented that from happening.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley looked back at the Nets' trade for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics back in 2013 and how it shaped the franchise to this day.

"This July 2013 megatrade doomed the Nets like no other," Buckley writes. "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 Pierce was gone the following offseason and 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."

While the Celtics just won their first championship with the core that stemmed from the Nets trade, Brooklyn cannot cry over spilled milk.

A lot of ill-advised decisions have brought the Nets to their current state of affairs, and there isn't much they can do about it now to fix it. Instead, they have to look to make positive changes now that will help them get back to where they want to be.

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