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Jason Terry reveals how Kevin Garnett almost blew up the Celtics’ trade with Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets over loyalty

Justin Quinn
·3 min read
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The course that set the Boston Celtics down their current path as nascent title contenders at the midpoint of the 2021-22 NBA season can be traced back to the fateful decision of then-team president Danny Ainge making the decision to trade away his 2007-08 title core to the Brooklyn Nets.

But, unbeknownst to most of the world, the trio of stars the Celtics sent to the Nets might not have happened had the original plan for the trade been insisted on by Brooklyn or Ainge. The deal, which sent Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Nets along with DJ White for salary matching purposes was very nearly vetoed by Garnett out of concern for Terry, according to the Arizona product in a recent interview with the Celtics Wire.

Terry explained how he was not part of the original package planned to be sent to Brooklyn, and was only added after Garnett threatened to block the trade without the inclusion of the JET (as Terry is sometimes called).

“Originally, I was not in that trade,” explained the former Boston shooting guard. “The Celtics wanted me to stay and come back and finish my deal out with them and continue to build.”

“But, KG just said, ‘Hey, man — JET’s at a point in his career, he can’t go through that. He doesn’t deserve that. Don’t put Courtney Lee in the deal. Put JET in the deal. Let him come with us to Brooklyn so we can chase this championship.’ And I just thought for a guy that has accomplished a lot in his career, he didn’t have to do that. But he felt so passionate about me and my career, and he understood where I was at that … he was willing to rescind the trade had they not put me in it, and so I forever thanked him for that.”

“Our time there in Brooklyn was short, but again, surrounded by Hall of Famers, being able to play with my friend and Hall of Fame teammates,” finished Terry.

It’s hard to imagine what the team’s rebuild would have been like with both Rajon Rondo and Terry both still on the team.

The Celtics only “tanked” for one season under new head coach (and now team president) Brad Stevens, and would have likely had a lesser draft pick as a result, perhaps radically reshaping the path Boston would have taken.

But the Arizona product’s account of how Garnett used his influence (and no-trade clause) to help a friend and teammate not have to find himself stuck on a rebuilding team fills in the gaps of the same tale we have heard told from other perspectives as well.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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