In the summertime of 2013, the Brooklyn Nets made shockwaves across the NBA.
In a stunning development that offseason, the franchise orchestrated a groundbreaking move that made everyone believe they will conquer the league.
Determined to make a drastic improvement, the Brooklyn Nets pulled the trigger, acquiring future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in a blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics.
With the move, many believed that they had a robust shot to challenge the dominance of LeBron James and the Miami Heat.
But this thinking ended up into a major bluff, as the Nets ultimately disappointed and went on to become one of the NBA’s most hyped, yet ineffective teams.
Coming off their first postseason appearance in six years, the Brooklyn Nets held lofty ambitions to instantly put themselves atop the basketball world.
Garnett and Pierce, the cornerstones of Boston for years who led the Celtics en route to the 2008 NBA championship, were already past their prime years. But Brooklyn was convinced that the two, alongside Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez, were the missing pieces of their aspiring dream season.
The landing of the two aging stars saw the Nets dubbed a ‘superteam’, but they couldn’t live up to this billing as they crumbled throughout the 2013-14 season.
“I thought we were going to be the team who could beat the Heat,” Joe Johnson said about the ball club, speaking to Run It Back. “We were able to get Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry came over.
“We started off rocking. I think we started off like 5-15 and we were on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. It was embarrassing, you know? It was hard to even walk around New York.
“But we dealt with injuries that year with Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez getting hurt. We were forced to kind of play a lot smaller and play KG at the five.
“But for the most part, we made a good run at it. We made a good run at one point.”
In that year, both injuries and decline were the major factors for Brooklyn’s eventual downfall.
The Nets endured the devastating loss of Lopez, who went down with a season-ending foot injury after playing just his first 17 games. Since then, the Nets heavily relied on Garnett anchoring their interior, but the big man only managed to log 54 games of play.
The star trio of Johnson, Williams, and Pierce made themselves available for most of the season, but regression and drop of numbers were clearly evident from their end.
The Nets only compiled 44 wins, ended the regular season as the No. 6 team in the East, and proceeded to a second-round exit, with the reigning champs in James and the Heat sent them home after five games of their Conference Semis encounter.
“We had a great squad, man,” Johnson added. “We had a great squad.
“I think if it wasn’t for injuries, maybe we could have beaten the Heat. But the Heat, they were tough, man. They was tough.”
In the end, the Nets failed to meet their title expectations and suffered for years that ensued. And for that, they also paid the price by desperately pursuing Garnett and Pierce.
Decimated without their assets, the Nets’ future draft selections ultimately served as the building blocks of Boston’s bright plans ahead.
By choosing Jaylen Brown (2017) and Jayson Tatum (2018) using the Nets’ pick, the Celtics became an NBA powerhouse who clinched their 18th banner from last year.
The Nets’ dubious failure in 2013-14 offers a simple reminder that winning an NBA championship can’t be easily bought and processed over a single night.
