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Brooklyn Nets rumor timeline on the trade deadline

By Anthony Puccio
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Trade Deadline failed to disappoint yet again; however, it turned out to be another slightly confusing and somewhat disappointing day for the Nets. Plain and simple.

The team swapped Kevin Garnett for Thaddeus Young which was excellent. Young, 26, is 12 years younger than Garnett averages double the amount of points that KG averages. He's also owed more than $2 million less than Garnett this season.

That trade works for them.

But in terms of finding an impact player for now, opening up cap space and gaining draft picks, they failed. Throughout the season, it seemed like a sure thing that at least one of the big three would be traded. Better yet, almost every season it seems like at least one will be traded, namely Brook Lopez. Lopez has a player option at the end of this season and if he walks away with Brooklyn receiving nothing, this day may turn out to be an even bigger disappointment than initially thought.

A source tells NetsDaily they feel 'screwed' by Oklahoma City's late deal because it gave them little time to do other trades. Clearly front office was unhappy with their inability to make more moves.

Here's how the crazy 3:00 PM EST deadline went down for the Nets:

10:25 AM: Woj tweets Nets-Thunder start "serious" talks involving Reggie Jackson & Brook Lopez.

For those who remember, OKC offered Kendrick Perkins and Jeremy Lamb for Lopez earlier in the season. The Nets declined. This rumor, nearly four hours before the deadline, gave the Nets what they wanted: Young, athletic legs in Reggie Jackson that could keep them in the playoff race this season.

11:22 AM: Marc Stein reports optimism from Minnesota brass that Garnett would waive his no-trade clause.

This was speculated the eve of the deadline, so the news of possibly swapping Garnett for Young wasn't shocking. It was more that Garnett was leaning towards waiving his no-trade clause and returning to the organization he played 12 seasons for and began his legacy with.

Things were heating up.

12:38 PM : Woj: Nets, Thunder close to finalizing deal involving KG to Minnesota and Jarrett Jack to Washington.

Wow. This is where the you-know-what hit the fan. First off, the fact that the teams were in the "finalizing" stages for a Jackson-Lopez swap was shocking alone. But then...

Jarrett Jack to Washington? Huh? This was completely random and no details ever emerged, but it appeared like the Nets were seeking to shed his salary in attempt to "give the keys to Reggie Jackson".

1:08 PM: Chris Mannix reports Detroit's interest in Jack.

Three minutes later (1:11 PM), Jarrett Jack tweets this...

No wonder his frustration. It would've been Jack's eighth different team in just his tenth season in NBA. And for those who forgot, Jarrett Jack told Nets beat writers back on January 16, "I don't want nobody else. I want to finish with the guys I started with." You can't question the loyalty.

2:00 PM: Woj tweets Thunder's desire to explore other options.

This is where every Nets fan in the land (pulling for the trade) sits back, sighs and prepares for the worst. It wouldn't be the first time this happens. Keep in mind that the teams were talking all morning. It was extremely suspect on OKC's part to pull this one hour before the deadline.

2:34 PM: David Aldridge confirms that Kevin Garnett waived his no-trade clause, bringing Thaddeus Young to Brooklyn and sending Garnett back to Minnesota.

This was great for the Nets. As mentioned, Thaddeus Young is 12 years younger than KG and averages over 14 points per game (double what KG's averaging). Garnett also finished his illustrious career with the franchise that he started it all with. A win-win situation for the Nets.

However, it was 2:34 and Oklahoma City was nowhere to be found. The Nets agreed on the deal, but continued to wait for Sam Presti.

2:46: Woj reports the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Reggie Jackson to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Enes Kanter, Kyle Singler and D.J. Augustin.

Wow. Talk about a crazy way to end the deadline 15 minutes before the final bell.

When the Nets traded for Deron Williams in 2011, they traded the rights to a pick that ended up being Enes Kanter, the centerpiece in a deal that prevented Jackson from coming to the Nets. Jackson supposedly had the trust of Nets' brass to give him a long-term deal, even a max contract, and put the franchise future in his hands. He would've been "the guy" for the Nets, as Woj reported.

Jackson, 24, averaged 12.8 points and 4.3 assists in 28 minutes per game on 43% overall shooting and a horrid 28% from three. However in the 13 games that he started, he averaged over 23 points and seven assists per game, proving himself worthy of adopting a starter's role.

Jackson wouldn't have been the best thing that's ever happened to the Nets, perhaps a Devin Harris-like impact, but with Garnett on the outs and Young coming in, he would've changed the entire dynamic of the team. Mason Plumlee, who Jackson would've pushed the pace for, would've bumped up to the starting slot at the five and might have excelled with a quick penetration-savvy PG. Not to mention with Lopez gone, Joe Johnson would have been the primary focal point of the Nets' offense. He and Lopez haven't exactly coexisted to perfection during their tenure here in Brooklyn.

If the trade went through -- assuming Jack was involved -- Deron Williams would've handed over the franchise keys to Reggie Jackson, who would have given the Brooklyn Nets franchise a slight chance at a decent present and possible future.

But overnight, the downside of Jackson --his personality-- became the news as teammates, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and his coach, Scott Brooks, let it known that he wouldn't be missed.

You can't call the deadline a failure --or a success-- without letting the season play out. But since Miami holds a one-game advantage over the Nets and made a power move for Goran Dragic this deadline, the path to the playoffs isn't looking so easy. Not to mention the Detroit Pistons -- one game behind the Nets -- picked up the Nets' primary target: Reggie Jackson. He'll be filling in the shoes of Brandon Jennings and instead of helping a Brooklyn playoff push, he'll be looking to jolt Detroit over the Nets and fight for that final playoff spot in the East.

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