How the worst trade in NBA history is preventing LeBron James, Lakers from winning another title

How the most noticeably awful exchange in NBA history is avoiding LeBron James, Lakers from winning another title

 

You might think it’s time to let the Brooklyn Nets off the snare for making the most noticeably awful exchange in NBA history back on Draft Night 2013, but think once more — since this exchange proceeds to cause aftermath for all parties included, and numerous indeed not specifically included, such as the Lakers’ somehow-still-not-really-aging superstar LeBron James.

June 28, 2013 may be a date that will live in shame for Nets fans, since that’s the day their then-owner Mikhail Prokhorov and his contact Dmitry Razumov constrained group GM Billy Lord to grant up three unprotected first-round draft picks and another first-round choose swap to the Celtics for an aging Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. Prokhorov and Razumov needed to win a title inside five a long time and gave Lord a “win-now” final proposal — consequently marking the 37 year ancient KG, 36 year ancient Puncture, and 35 year ancient Jason Terry.

Typically, Garnett and Puncture as it were played for two more seasons to middling success. The season after the exchange, the Nets misplaced within the moment circular of the playoffs to LeBron James and the Warm, and it was as it were downhill from there.

After Garnett and Penetrate resigned, the Nets were loathsome for a long time. The Celtics in the interim utilized the Nets’ draft resources to arrive Marcus Shrewd, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Other than the self-evident resonations this bargain is still causing (the Celtics fair won their to begin with NBA championship with Tatum and Brown), there are numerous other roundabout swell impacts still permeating, counting the absence of a ring on the fifth finger of LeBron James’ shooting hand.

In brief, the greatest result still being felt from the Nets-Celtics exchange is the virtual conclusion of the “win-right-now” group logic. The super group period, which was amusingly introduced in by LeBron James himself when he joined up with Dwayne Swim and Chris Bosh in Miami, all but passed on after the Nets’ exchange calamity — with one major special case:

The Clippers going all-in to exchange for Paul George and sign Kawhi Leonard.

And how well has that worked out for them?… Bueller? Bueller?

The slew of prospects and draft picks the Clippers traded away to the Oklahoma City Thunder to acquire George included cornerstones of the current stellar roster, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, among others

 

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So really the takeaway of trying to trade for a “win-right-now” team is that you will ultimately be building a young superstar team for the team you’re trading with.

 

All this means that the fateful Nets-Celtics trade is also indirectly responsible for LeBron James not winning a fifth NBA title as of yet with the Lakers.

 

Because even though LeBron somehow still seems ageless, he desperately needs more pieces around him right now before his window officially closes. But the Lakers aren’t giving it to him. Why? It’s just not worth it to trade assets or young pieces when “win-right-now” just doesn’t seem to work anymore.

 

For the Lakers, appeasing their star by drafting his son Bronny James (as unpopular as it may have been), and choosing the coach James wanted in JJ Redick, were a much better call than trying to build a winning team around LeBron James right now. As if Lakers fans needed any more reasons to hate the Celtics after falling behind 18-17 this summer in the championship trophies count, the fact that the incipient trade Boston made with the Nets eleven years ago is still preventing LA from winning an 18th championship may take the cake.