Sergey Kushchenko, a member of the Nets board of directors and Mikhail Prokhorov’s chief sports advisor, may have hit upon the best way to describe Brooklyn’s 2013 trade with Boston.
Speaking on ZdesBasketbol, a Russian TV program, Friday, Kushchenko called it the "initially famous and later on infamous trade."
Kushchenko, who under Prokhorov’s ownership led CSKA Moscow to two Euroleague titles, praised Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for what they brought to the team — specifically mentioning their winning mentality and Pierce’s famous shouted phrase during the 2014 playoffs, "that’s why they brought me here".
He admitted as well that "it was our (management) decision for that infamous trade.” The Nets, of course, gave up three unprotected first round picks in 2014 (James Young), 2016 (Jaylen Brown) and 2018 as well as a swap of picks this season for the aging Celtic stars.
Kushchenko spoke about how the Nets plan on getting out of the mess left by the previous management. Asked who does he see as a “core player” for the Nets going forward, he answered, “Caris LeVert.”
He raved about LeVert’s team-first approach and praised the Nets new management for drafting and developing the 6’7” Michigan product. Kushchenko preached patience and development of young players, calling them the twin goals going forward as Nets begin a slow but steady rebuild.
Kushchenko who serves as president of the Russian basketball league, noted as well the fallacy that marked the Nets previous strategy. He said you can’t build a contender by just throwing money at free agents, since free agents want a winning situation.
Thanks to Belarus4life of the NetsDaily community for the basic translation