Mikhail Prokhorov was a nickel mining magnate and one of the richest men in Russia when he decided to buy the New Jersey Nets, becoming the first majority investor outside of North America. “We are pleased that the NBA Board of Directors has approved Prokhorov’s purchase of majority ownership of the Nets,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said in a statement. It was not the smoothest arrival to a franchise, since it had a lot of opposition from the American authorities. The decision to sell would be accompanied by the move from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
When the Russian arrived with a full wallet, the team’s situation was critical. Last season they got the worst start in the NBA, losing their first 18 games, they finished the Regular League with a performance of 12 wins and 70 losses, the worst in the league. His level of optimism reached the point of saying the phrase, “if I don’t win a ring in five years I’ll get married.” In the end he neither got a ring nor has he ever gotten married. Since his arrival the franchise improved with renowned signings such as Deron Williams or Gerald Wallace. In 2013 they would have a record of 49-33 and lose in the first round. The other part of the transfer was the Boston Celtics, who in 2008 had won the NBA and in 2010 would reach the finals against the Celtics. In the last season before the transfer, 2012/2013, they would only reach the first round with a balance of 41-40.
The “failed” transfer
Seeing that the team was growing each season, Prokhorov decided to make his definitive bet to reach the NBA ring. They received Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and DJ White in exchange for Gerald Wallace, several role players, the first rounds of 2014, 2016, 2018 and the possibility of trading the first in 2017.
Garnett, a player who had won team and individual titles in the past decade, arrived at 37 years old. He would play a total of 96 games and very low averages for a legend like him: 6.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 20.4 minutes. For his part, Paul Pierce would play 75 games, although with better averages: 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 28.0 minutes. The Russian magnate’s bet would not be very successful, his maximum would be a conference semifinal in the first season.
Kevin Garnett y Paul PierceMike EhrmannAFP
The part that benefited from this transfer was the Celtics, who gave two legends who averaged worse numbers every year, in exchange for four first rounds. In 2014, they received James Young at pick 17, a player from Kentucky, a good three-point shooter who only played 89 games in the NBA. That pick was not very high because it was the last season that the Nets made the playoffs. The first major acquisition would be in 2016 with the arrival of Jaylen Brown at pick 3, a key player currently on the team and who would be an All-Rookie. But in 2017, thanks to the lottery, they managed to be the number 1 pick. The transfer included the option of being able to change their pick that year with Brooklyn, going up from 27 to 1. Although they would not choose in first position since they would exchange the three for the one with Philadelphia. The Sixers wanted to choose Markel Fultz and the Celtics wanted Jayson Tatum, in exchange they would also get an extra round. Both players are key to the franchise many years later, with Tatum signing a maximum salary and Brown waiting to sign him in a few months.
The last round of the transfer was 2018, but that round would not be used to choose in the 2018 Draft. The Celtics would use that round to include it in the trade for Kyrie Irving that they would make that summer.
Jaylen Brown (7) celebrando con Jayson Tatum (0) Isaiah J. DowningUSA TODAY Sports
How were those 4 years for each team?
For the Brooklyn Nets, the best season would be the first with 44 wins, dropping the pre-transfer season by five wins. From there each season would get worse, 38 in 2015, 21 in 2016, 20 in 2017 and, they recovered somewhat in 2018, 28 victories. Years later they were close, centimeters to be exact with that play by Durant against the Bucks, of winning the NBA with the Irving-KD-Harden big-three. With the departure of these three the team finds itself in another reconstruction and this time they are the ones who have first rounds of other teams.
On the other side of the coin, Boston would go from less to more with 28 in 2014, 40 in 2015, 48 in 2016, 53 in 2017 and 55 in 2018, the year in which they would just receive transfer rounds. They would reach the NBA finals again in 2021, losing to Curry’s Warriors. Prokhorov’s phrase will always haunt him, like Brooklyn Nets fans the memory of one of the worst decisions in the modern NBA. From 2010 to 2019 they did not have the option to choose in the first round of a draft, the longest streak in NBA history.
2024-05-27 14:47:51
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