The Brooklyn Nets likely still regret their trade from November 2013 with the Boston Celtics. 

The deal sent Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White to Brooklyn in exchange for Gerlald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, and Kris Joseph to Boston. 

On paper, that may have seemed like an unfair deal. But at the time, Garnett and Pierce were aging stars, and the Celtics wanted to get younger and more athletic. 

The backbreaker of the trade, which made it lopsided in Boston's favor, was four unprotected first-round picks (2014, 2016, 2018, 2017 pick swap) that led to two key pieces of the Celtics roster for years to come. 

"The Nets thought they were finalizing a superteam roster, but they wound up building the Celtics' championship blueprint instead.

"Because while Brooklyn wound up getting a single playoff series out of this exchange, Boston constructed a perennial contender (and one-time champion) by turning two of those picks into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown," Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley wrote. 

Of course, Tatum and Brown were the two-headed dragon that helped the Celtics win their 18th championship, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games in 2024. 

Brown is now with the Philadelphia 76ers following an offseason trade, but Tatum remains Boston's top scoring threat on a contending team. 

Meanwhile, the Nets have made the playoffs six times since the trade, advancing no further than the semifinals. 

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Later on, Brooklyn attempted a big three consisting of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, but injuries limited their potential despite being one win away from the ECF during the 2020-21 season. 

It's anyone's guess who the Nets would've selected with the picks they involved in the trade with the Celtics.

Chances are, a few of those players could have put them in a much better position, rather than testing their luck with Garnett and Pierce. 

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