Back in June 2013, the Brooklyn Nets decided to go all in with their roster by making a blockbuster trade that included a plethora of future first-round draft picks to acquire both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics.
However, it was a move that was short-lived as the Nets fell short of their lofty expectations that led to Paul Pierce departing the team after just one season. According to Tom Lorenzo of Netsdaily.com, former Nets general manager Billy King recently revealed that he wouldn't have pulled the trigger on the trade if he knew the team wasn't going to be able to bring back Pierce.
Billy King said that had he known the Nets wouldn't be able to re-sign Paul Pierce, he wouldn't have done the deal. https://t.co/qC17Vs83qP
— Tom Lorenzo (@TomLorenzo) September 21, 2017
Kings had executed a trade that turned out to be quite a hefty package of assets sent away that included first-round picks in the 2014, 2016, and 2018 drafts. Each of these picks had turned out to be quite beneficial in helping the Celtics become a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Nets have entered full rebuild mode over the last two of seasons with the team missing the playoffs in each campaign while winning no more than 21 games and placing higher than fourth in the Atlantic division.
Brooklyn had believed that the addition of Pierce and Garnett helped them formulate a potential powerhouse team in the Eastern Conference with a starting lineup that also featured Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez under first-year head coach Jason Kidd.
However, a season-ending injury to Lopez in December of that season was a huge blow and played a part to them falling short against the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Ultimately, it's one of those moves that in hindsight that King and the Nets would like to have taken back.
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