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Sports

Celtics-Nets blockbuster becomes official

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Brooklyn, NY – The draft night blockbuster trade between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets became official on Friday.

The Nets have acquired Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White from the Celtics in exchange for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and first-round picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018. The deal also includes the right to swap first-round picks in 2017.

"We are excited to welcome Kevin, Paul and Jason to Brooklyn," said Nets general manager Billy King in a statement Friday. "All three players have championship pedigree and possess the veteran qualities that will make us a stronger team."

Garnett and Pierce were integral parts of the Celtics teams that won the NBA title in 2008 and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2010 Finals.

"We would like to thank Paul, Kevin and Jason for everything that they have done for this franchise," said Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge in a statement Friday. "We would not have won Banner 17 without Paul and Kevin and they will go down amongst the all-time great players to have ever worn a Celtics uniform."

The new Nets acquisitions are expected to help a team that won 49 games in its first season in Brooklyn and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

"Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets," said Nets principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov in a statement. "With the arrival of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, we have achieved a great balance on our roster between veteran stars and young talents. This team will be dazzling to watch, and tough to compete against."

Prokhorov has virtually stopped at nothing to build a championship-caliber squad in Brooklyn, while also trying to steal the New York spotlight from the more established Knicks.

Garnett holds averages of 19.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 blocks in 1,323 career games over 18 NBA seasons. He's also played 131 playoff games and has averaged 19.2 points with 11.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the postseason.

A 15-time All-Star, Garnett was selected as the NBA MVP during the 2003-04 season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Wolves in the 1995 NBA Draft and joined the Celtics for the 2007-08 season after 12 years in Minnesota.

Pierce, a 10-time All-Star, played the first 15 seasons of his career with the Celtics and ranks fifth all-time in NBA history in career 3-pointers made with 1,823, 20th in total points with 24,021, and 10th in free throws made with 6,434. Through 1,102 career games he has compiled averages of 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

This past season, the Oakland native averaged 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. In 136 career playoff games, Pierce has averaged 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Terry spent just the 2012-13 season with Boston and averaged 10.1 points in 79 games. He has also played for Atlanta and Dallas, winning an NBA title with the Mavericks in 2011.

The 14-year veteran ranks fourth in NBA history with 1,911 made 3-pointers. He won the 2008-09 Sixth Man of the Year award as a member of the Mavericks when he averaged 19.6 points per game.

White has played in 136 career NBA games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Charlotte Bobcats and Celtics. The Indiana product has averaged 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds.

The Celtics get a pair of established veterans in Wallace and Bogans. Wallace, a 6-foot-7 forward, has averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 742 games over 12 NBA seasons, while Bogans has appeared in 665 games in 10 seasons and owns career averages of 6.4 points with 2.7 rebounds.

Humphries has averaged 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 558 NBA games with Utah, Toronto, Dallas and the Nets, while Brooks appeared in 73 games for the Nets last season after a solid first campaign that featured an average of 12.6 points and a Second-Team All-Rookie selection. Joseph was originally selected by the Celtics in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft and appeared in 10 games between the Celtics and Nets last season.

"We are really excited to welcome Gerald, Kris, Keith, MarShon and Kris to the Celtics organization," said new Celtics coach Brad Stevens. "They collectively bring a great deal of versatility, unique skill sets and production to our roster. I cannot wait to get to work with them."

The Nets also have a new coach to work their new players, as former star point guard Jason Kidd took over last month.