Kevin Garnett has agreed to waive his no-trade clause, clinching an agreement on a trade that will land Paul Pierce, Garnett and Jason Terry with the Brooklyn Nets, sources close to the process told ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard on Thursday night.
Garnett waiving the no-trade clause was the last step to sealing the deal, sources said.
How Pierce and Garnett Will Help
The Nets allowed 43.4 points per game and 55 percent shooting in the paint last season, with both ranked in the bottom 10 in the league.
No trade between the teams can officially be consummated until July 10 — when a league-wide moratorium on signings and trades is lifted after free agency begins July 1 — but the teams made fast progress on finalizing the trade parameters.
Brooklyn has agreed to send three first-round picks (2014, ’16 and ’18) along with Kris Humphries’ expiring contract, Gerald Wallace, Tornike Shengelia, Reggie Evans and a sign-and-traded Keith Bogans to the Celtics for Pierce, Garnett and Terry. By agreeing to add Terry to the trade, sources said, Brooklyn alleviated some of Boston’s concerns about absorbing the remaining three years, $30 million on Wallace’s contract.
Because Pierce is making nearly $17 million this season, Brooklyn needs the deal to wait until after the start of free agency and the lifting of the moratorium on July 10, since the $15.3 million team option the Celtics had on their longtime captain is used in the trade.
Yahoo! Sports reported the Nets’ pursuit of Garnett and Pierce as a package. The New York Daily News reported earlier this week that the Nets were chasing Garnett. Sources told ESPN.com the Nets hatched the idea of trying to acquire both Boston stalwarts in the same deal because Pierce’s inclusion was seen as the surest way to persuade Garnett to waive his no-trade clause.
The addition of Garnett and Pierce to the trio of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez would appear to give the Nets one of the most formidable rosters in the NBA under rookie coach Jason Kidd.