Paul Pierce Looks Back On His Infamous Celtics Trade: 'If I'm Going To Utah, Let Me Just Go Ahead And Retire...'

During a recent episode of 'KG Certified,' former Celtics stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett reflected on their exit from the team they won the title with back in 2008. According to Pierce, who was also speaking with current Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, he admitted that the "writing was on the wall" for their championship core and that he would have retired had he not been sent to play in New York City.

"We dealt with injuries at the end, we were getting older, and I think we just got swept. So it was just like, we knew it was coming through the whole process. We [were] talking to Danny, and then it was like, shoot if we gonna go somewhere, how about Brooklyn? I can do New York," said Pierce. "I'm at the end of my career, I ain't never played nowhere else... then, like, we [Garnett] can go together. If he would have said 'y'all going to Utah' I woulda said 'nah I'll go ahead and retire.' We actually thought we could win it in Brooklyn."

The summer of 2013 brought an end to the Paul Pierce era in Boston, and it broke the basketball world when he was traded as part of a massive package that included Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry in exchange for a massive haul of draft picks, pick swaps, and young players. Pierce and Garnett were on board for the plan and they both played a hand in finalizing the trade that sent them to New York. Pierce, who was 36 at the time, could have retired that summer if he wanted to but it was only the allure of winning a title in the mecca that convinced him to stay.

Which Team Won The Infamous Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett Trade?

Even all these years later, that deal remains a regular talking point in NBA circles. For Pierce and Garnett, it gave them what they ultimately wanted, which was a chance to play and live in New York City. Unfortunately, the Nets were a pretty mediocre product on the court and the arrival of Pierce and Garnett failed to push them over the top with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. In fact, Pierce would only play a single season for the Nets before being sent to the Wizards and Garnett would follow him not long after. Depleted of assets and devoid of any draft capital, the Nets spent years trying to recover before somehow signing Kevin Durant back in 2019. Durant left after three years, and the Nets have yet to make a deep playoff run to show for all of the assets they've given up.

While the Celtics were even worse on paper, their willingness to get out in front of the rebuild helped them to recover quickly and it wasn't long before they found their next franchise star in Jayson Tatum back in 2017. Since Tatum's arrival, the Celtics have consistently been among the best teams in the East and they are on track to become the next team since Pierce's Celtics to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy back to Bean town. Looking back, trading Pierce and Garnett all those years ago was the best thing that could have happened to them and it set them on the path to become the Eastern powerhouse they are today. When Jayson and Jaylen inevitably get older, they may find themselves in a similar position toward the end of their careers.