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Nov 27, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets small forward Paul Pierce (34) and power forward Kevin Garnett (2) looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center. The Lakers won 99-94. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Reflect on Blockbuster Trade to the Brooklyn Nets

Originally posted on Brooklyn Nets on SI | By Jed Katz | Last updated May 15, 2025 5:00 PM ET

It's hard to believe that the Brooklyn Nets were considered one of the elite teams in the NBA almost 12 years ago. On June 28, 2013, the direction of the franchise would be forever altered as the Nets made that blockbuster trade to acquire Boston Celtics legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Brooklyn's vision under GM Billy King and owner Mikhail Prokhorov was to make a win-now move and bring in two All-Stars to join Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez. At the time, the trade seemed like a major win for the Nets, who had one of the best starting lineups in the league... on paper.

Pierce would last one season in Brooklyn before signing with the Washington Wizards in 2014. Garnett would spend one and a half seasons with the Nets before being traded back to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The duo would have one playoff run with the franchise, beating the Toronto Raptors in round one before falling to the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals.

Needless to say, it was a disastrous experiment for Brooklyn, but the biggest reason was because of the assets the organization gave up, rather than what it got back. The Celtics would use the Nets' draft picks to select future All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who would lead Boston to a championship in 2024.

More than that, the Nets were struggling to make it out of the basement of the league between 2015 and 2018, the years in which the Celtics owned their picks. The public perception of the blockbuster trade quickly shifted, as Brooklyn ended up as the clear losers of the deal.

On Garnett's podcast, KG Certified, the two Hall-of-Famers reflected on the blockbuster deal and their departure from the Celtics to the Nets. They also talked about their time in Brooklyn playing under then-head coach, Jason Kidd.

"Me and Ticket still feel like we can give a team something where can win a 'chip," Pierce said. "We had Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, two young stars that we can give them some game and some veteran presence. It was actually a good fit. We really had a chance."

Garnett talked about Kidd as a head coach in Brooklyn.

"It took J-Kidd like 40 games to understand and get it together," Garnett said. "We didn't have 40 game to get nobody. But shoutout to J-Kidd and that whole situation. I wasn't anticipating what he actually was. I thought he was gonna be something totally different."

The Nets went 44-38 during the 2013-14 season, finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference. They would upset the Raptors in seven games in the 2014 playoffs, before matching up with LeBron James and the superteam that was the Heat in round two, falling in five games.

Garnett and Pierce pointed out that they had actually won the regular-season series against Miami, which was true. Brooklyn went a staggering 4-0 against the Heat, which gave reason to believe that the Nets could give them a run for their money. Unfortunately, it didn't pan out.

This article first appeared on Brooklyn Nets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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