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NBA

Celtics win April Fool's Day by trolling the Brooklyn Nets

By Brett Pollakoff FoxSports
Published | Updated
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BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 26: Paul Pierce #34 and Kevin Garnett #2 of the Brooklyn Nets stand on the court during the national anthem before the game against the Boston Celtics on January 26, 2014 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Steve Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

In the summer of 2013, the Nets made a splashy trade with the Celtics to acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the twilight of their respective Hall of Fame careers. Brooklyn's billionaire owner wanted to win immediately, and because Boston knew just how desperate he was to bring star-level talent to the newly-opened Barclays Center, the Celtics fleeced the Nets in what's looking like a more lopsided trade with each year that goes by.

This summer is when the Celtics will only be beginning to see the fruits of that deal, one which (somewhat incredibly) included three first round draft picks (2014, 2016 and 2018), as well as the right to swap first round picks in 2017.

The Nets are currently terrible, so those picks turned out to be more valuable than Boston could ever have imagined. And because of how the trade ultimately turned out, it makes the stunt the Celtics pulled for April Fool's Day about as hilarious as possible.

That's right -- the official online store for the Boston Celtics is selling gear for the Brooklyn Nets.

Hindsight is 20/20, of course, but this becomes even funnier when going back and reading what ownership in Brooklyn had to say about the deal at the time.

"Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets," said Nets Principal Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. "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."

The Nets were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs that season, and were gone in the first round in 2015. Pierce and Garnett are now playing for other teams, and the Nets are just 21-54 this season -- ahead of only the woeful 76ers at the bottom of the standings in the East.