The Brooklyn Nets finished the 2012-2013 season with a 49-33 records, which was good for fourth best in the eastern conference. During their teams off season discussions the front office must have decided they were really close and that all they were missing was some veteran leadership because they traded away lots of their future for the a 35 year old and 36 year old guard and a 37 year old forward. Sure these older veteran players are Jason Terry, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, players who have all been at the top at some point in their careers, but as every stock prospectus ever warns us, past performance does not necessarily predict future results.
These guys have been playing basketball for a long time. In Kevin Garnett's case he has 17 years of professional experience under his belt. Their bodies are getting older and their skills are or will be getting worse. To acquire these three veterans the Nets gave up five players and three first round picks. That is right they gave up three first round picks. Let that sink in.... hopefully you have properly considered it now. The Nets have essentially said that these three veteran players, who in the best of situations have 4-6 years of effective playing time left, will provide more value for their franchise then three young talented rookies.
On top of the three first rounders the Nets also trade five other players, Keith Bogans, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humpries, Reggie Evans and some guy named Tornike Shengelia. Most or all of these guys were included in the trade because of the NBA's constant salary cap shuffling. None of them look to be big contributors to the Celtics, but still they are part of the trade.
If the Nets do win a championship in the next 1-3 years this will deal will be worth it. Hoisting the trophy at the end of the is the ultimate goal of all teams. However, the more likely scenario is that the Nets fall short and all three of the veterans they acquired leave in either free agency or retirement. In that case this trade would be a complete failure.
This was definitely a bold move by both teams. If you are a fan of either team, I supposed you can be glad that you have a clear idea of what your teams plan is. The Celtics dumped the fave of their franchise and committed themselves to being bad for the next couple of years in the hopes of being better in the long term. The Nets decided to go for it all now. That is better then floundering in mediocrity like many other teams. I just dont know if I could get behind such a risk being taken by the Nets.
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