Celtics, Nets finalize blockbuster deal

NEW YORK – The blockbuster breakup of the Boston Celtics is complete. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are Brooklyn bound.

The Nets and Celtics finalized their draft-night trade Friday, a nine-player, three-draft pick swap centered on the two aging champions who won a title in Boston in 2008.

“Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets,” Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. “With the arrival of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, we have achieved a great balance on our roster between veteran stars and young talents. This team will be dazzling to watch, and tough to compete against.”

The Nets also get Jason Terry and D.J. White from Boston while sending Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018 to the rebuilding Celtics.

The teams agreed to the deal on June 27 but it couldn’t be completed until after next season’s salary cap was set.