Recent Boston repo man Danny Ainge has pilfered the Celtics organization of all but its 17 banners and an angular man named Rajon Rondo. After multiple days of updates from team sources, Twitter recognizance, and a healthy dose of blind speculation, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry are now members of the Brooklyn Nets. Details are below (depending on which team you root for, this is the space to scream and break stuff).
The trade (as reported by ESPN) essentially looks like the following:
Brooklyn Nets Receive
- Kevin Garnett – Paul Pierce – Jason Terry – Along with veteran leadership, champion pedigree, and a stud five-man starting unit
Boston Celtics Receive
- Plenty of flak – Kris Humphries & his expiring contract – Reggie Evans – a sign-and-traded Keith Bogans – Tornike Shengelia – And this is what Boston was really after: three first-round picks (for 2014, 2016, & 2018)
The Nets get very good-to-great instantly and the Celtics get bad for a good chunk of what a David Stern dictatorship lasts. So long that the extreme gutting of the Celtics roster might suggest that they’re in all-out rebuild mode. That means that Rondo might also be moving to greener pastures than the Celtics Green can provide.
Ainge will receive waves of criticism from diehard Celtics fans but in the long run it’ll be for the benefit of the team. Garnett and Pierce have little lift left and their quick signing to the Nets suggests that they were ready to abandon ship at first sight of land. Even if that land is in a crowded, high-rent New York borough.
The move also suggests that Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has more business gusto than Jay-Z after a late-night round of poker. He’s out to secure a ring, one bloated and awkward blockbuster move at a time.
This is what the move does for Brooklyn:
It gets them a starting unit that might be the second or third most impressive of the league. It would be Brook Lopez at center, Kevin Garnett at power forward, Paul Pierce at small forward, Joe Johnson at shooting guard, and Deron Williams at point guard. There’s some holes to exploit, like how will Williams run a floor he typically likes to navigate with aggressive dribbling when all other guys are noted “space crowders” and also enjoy having the ball in their hands? But overall, this puts Brooklyn at a solid No. 3 or 4 in the Eastern Conference. If they gel quickly, maybe even No. 2 (depending on Indiana’s improvement).
With Garnett they get someone to stare down the Chicago Bulls in a potential playoff rematch. The Garnett-Pierce-and if he can get his act together, Jason Terry trio can also be a hidden ace to use against the LeBron-led Heat. Sure, the three have had little success against him recently, but with Lopez, Johnson, and Williams to round out their talents, they can push the Heat against the ropes as all three have done before.
In Pierce they have someone who can bother James. Lopez provides good interior scoring and shot blocking (if not defense) that bothered the Heat so much this year. Williams is a top-10 point guard who can exploit the Heat’s oft-inability to guard premier point guards. Garnett can fill in the defensive holes Lopez, and especially Johnson, might provide, and you have a juicy second or third round matchup in 2014.
This is what it does for Boston:
Mostly, they get an investment in the future. This trade is like paying into a college tuition for them. Evans might contribute some, Bogans can chip in a three per game, and Humphries might give you some hustle, but all five guys received shouldn’t be around when the Celtics become relevant again. It’s about those three first-round picks and the relevancy they might bring to a squad that might see Green (26 and a big maybe), Bradley (22), Sullinger (21), and possibly Rondo (27) rounding out in their prime, or slight post-prime, around that time.
It’s going to hurt in Boston for a few years. If lucky.
