Celtics will trade Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce to Nets in blockbuster deal

Pierce spent a good deal of Tuesday afternoon posting Instagram photos of his greatest Boston memories with the hashtag #THANKYOUBOSTON. It went beyond the commercials, the winning and the rivalry with the Lakers. Tradition was involved.

It was about relationships, too. Pierce grew with Kevin Garnett, among others. He was a central figure in the city on a pedestal with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and other Boston celebrities like Donnie Wahlberg.

So what’s the deal here? Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com broke down every step in Bogans’ last few seasons and why luck made him rich.

Under the current collective bargaining agreement rules, such a large pay increase for a free agent part of a sign-and-trade deal was nearly impossible. For example, Bogans needed to be with Brooklyn for a year under the technicalities of CBA rules just to earn more than a million dollars in a sign-and-trade under the non-Bird exception.

In contrast to that sober scene, the Nets went big. Really big. The splash page at the Nets’ website featured a slick graphic of Garnett, Piece and Terry with the words “Hello Brooklyn. We’re In.” Not to be outdone, owner Mikhail Prokhorov proudly declared in the team’s official press release that the “basketball gods” smiled down on the team:

It’s a joyous day for the Nets, so we’ll overlook the comments about achieving “a great balance” between veteran stars and young talents for now. The basketball gods may be immortal, but in the NBA, aging veterans like Garnett (37), Pierce (35), and Terry (35) are always up against a hard wall of physical reality. In any case, here’s what Brooklyn’s celebratory splash page looked like:

Wallace still has three years and $30 million left on his contract and doesn’t seem to be a great fit for the rebuild in Boston. But because of his future salary and declining play, though, it may be difficult for Boston to trade him for any significant assets.

Humphries is owed $12 million in the final year of a two-year deal, though, so he could have some value as an expiring contract despite being in the doghouse last season in Brooklyn.

Your friend, for reasons known only to your friend, waited months for this haircut appointment. It was important to your friend -- this is a metaphor, by the way -- and you want to support your friend.

And so it was that when your friend returned from this very expensive haircut -- for which, again, your friend waited months and endured all kinds of demeaning New York City-style luxury purchase insults (an invasive credit check, multiple letters of reference, a home visit from a judgmental associate hairdresser named Fab, who also ran some rudimentary blood tests) -- with what could only be described as a pretty bad haircut, you didn’t say anything. Your friend, and credit to your friend on this, realized it was a bad haircut. A very bad haircut. Feathers are involved. Saffron threads lace through an alarmingly long rat-tail. Your friend purchases gallon jugs of L.A. Looks hair gel to keep it looking the way it’s supposed to look. This is expensive, too, as L.A. Looks hair gel was last manufactured in 1990.

The three picks will come in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 drafts, but it’s not as simple as saying the Celtics get Brooklyn’s first-round pick in those drafts. Boston will receive the worse of Brooklyn or Atlanta’s first-round pick in the 2014 draft, since the Hawks have the right to switch first-round picks with the Nets in the 2014 NBA Draft. Boston will then have the right to swap first-round picks with the Nets themselves in the first round of the 2017 Draft.

All in all, the new wrinkles likely aren’t going to make a huge difference in the minds of fans that have already made up their mind about the deal, but at least the details seem to finally be sorted out.

The 30-year-old Wallace will be harder to move. He has three years left on his deal at a little more than $30 million. He declined rapidly last season, averaging just 7.7 points and shooting under 40 percent from the floor, but he could benefit from playing in a more up-tempo offense than Brooklyn’s slow-down pace.

Pierce is an all-time Celtic, an iconic player who will have his number retired as soon as he stops playing. It shouldn’t have come to this, but both sides knew the end was coming. He can still play at a high level, but after Rondo went down with an ACL injury, he couldn’t continue carrying the offensive load and directing the offense.

Second-year NBAer Tornike Shengelia was reported to be in the original deal, though CBS Sports’ Ken Berger reports that Evans apparently replaced him in the deal.

The deal will not be able to be officially finalized until July 10 due to a moratorium, according to multiple reports.

The deal was completed when Garnett agreed to waive his no-trade clause during Thursday night’s draft. It may have helped that Brooklyn agreed to fully guarantee the $12 million Garnett is owed during the 2014-15 season, according to Wojnarowski.

The teams cannot officially complete the trade until July 10, when Pierce’s new salary for the 2013-14 season begins, Wojnarowski reported.

The deal has reportedly reached the ownership level, meaning it’s closer to getting done than most trades that leak to the media, but apparently nothing has been agreed upon just yet.

Wojnarowski reports that Boston won’t ask Garnett to waive his no-trade clause until the trade is all but agreed upon, but it sounds as though there’s a better chance than usual at getting Garnett to agree to do such a thing. Wojnarowski believes that Garnett would consider waiving his no-trade clause if he’s able to go with Pierce, a good friend, to a big city (which Brooklyn obviously is).

Pierce and Garnett are both in the latter years of their career so it makes sense why the Celtics are interested in moving them in exchange for this package of expiring players and future draft picks until they’re able to compete for a championship again.

Another interesting facet to this move, should it happen, is the fact that the Celtics made a similar move a few years ago when they brought Garnett and Allen to Boston to compete for -- and eventually win -- a championship. This move isn’t guaranteed to have the same success, but that starting lineup should be able to compete with any NBA team as long as it stays healthy.