Boston Celtics · Franchise era 7 of 7
Tatum and Brown: the Boston Celtics story
Franchise era
2013–14—present
Tatum and Brown
Boston Celtics
The story in one sentence
Draft capital from the Brooklyn trade became a durable homegrown core that made repeated deep runs and won the 2024 championship.
A patient rebuild becomes a champion
Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Al Horford gave the era its recognizable core.
Its final meaning is still being written.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2013–14
What came before
Garnett and Allen joined Pierce, transforming Boston overnight into a defensive champion and a two-Finals team.
July 12, 2013
The trade that built Boston's next contender
The Nets wanted an instant title team. The Celtics accepted a painful teardown in exchange for years of control over Brooklyn's first-round future.
01Franchise resetJuly 12, 2013BKN⇄BOSNets–Celtics blockbusterBrooklyn went all-in on Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Boston turned the distant draft control it received into the foundation of another championship era.13 assets · 4 outcomes＋
The original receipt
Brooklyn Nets received
- • Kevin Garnett
- • Paul Pierce
- • Jason Terry
- • D.J. White
Boston Celtics received
- • Gerald Wallace
- • Kris Humphries
- • Keith Bogans
- • MarShon Brooks
- • Kris Joseph
- • 2014 first-round pick
- • 2016 first-round pick
- • 2017 first-round swap rights
- • 2018 first-round pick
The deal is the modern warning attached to trading unprotected future picks: Jaylen Brown and the chain that produced Jayson Tatum came directly from Brooklyn's draft control.
Open full trade tree →2022
NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs Golden State Warriors
2023
Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat
2024
NBA Finals: Boston Celtics vs Dallas Mavericks
Still unfolding
Where the story stands
This chapter remains active, so its final place in franchise history is still being written.
The core