A never-ending tug of war between ownership and management is believed to have been the cause of the Brooklyn Nets fallout from the Eastern Conference playoffs race.

While many people have blamed former general manager Billy King for his decisions, it turns out he also had a part in preventing some questionable acquisitions.

According to an offseason report by NetsDaily.com, King was the main decider in nixing a trade proposal to acquire the native Brooklynite Lance Stephenson in exchange for Joe Johnson in 2015.

The Joe Johnson deal

Back in 2010, Johnson had signed a massive six-year, $123.7-million contract with the Atlanta Hawks – to which he failed to live up to for the length of it.

When he accepted the offer, Johnson had scored at a 20-point clip for every one of his five years with the team. While the amount seemed a bit much, the numbers somewhat justified it.

His next two years in Atlanta saw his performance dip, seeing lower shooting percentages and a deflated involvement on the defensive end.

After being traded to the Nets in the 2012 offseason, his numbers still decayed, seeing a very pedestrian production for a starter of his caliber.

Sir Lance-A-Lot's struggles

Coming off two good seasons as a starter for the Indiana Pacers, Stephenson took the opportunity to cash in on a deal and signed with the Charlotte Hornets.

The Cincinnati product saw less minutes and struggled throughout the NBA year until he was traded the next season, splitting time with the L.A. Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies.

Why the deal never happened

Nets chairman Dmitry Razumov, second in charge to Mikhail Prokhorov, loved the idea of adding Stephenson. However, King didn't see much value in the 25-year-old and quickly turned down the proposal.

While swapping one struggling player for another doesn't seem like the best deal, moving Johnson's contract did.

By bringing in a hometown hero like Stephenson, Razumov and Prokhorov saw the opportunity to monetize on their investment, though King had the final say.

Where they are now

After being waived by Brooklyn and picked up from waivers by a Miami Heat team that intended a playoff push, Johnson signed with the Utah Jazz for a two-year, $22-million contract.

Stephenson is currently a free agent, working out for the Pelicans and could explore the option of playing overseas.

King was relieved of his duties as the Nets general manager and reassigned within the front office in January after a 10-27 start to the 2015-16 season.