Kevin Garnett demanded Nets keep Reggie Evans

Kevin Garnett did not want Reggie Evans traded to the Celtics. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

When the Nets were working out a trade with the Celtics for Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry this summer, one of the pieces rumored to be leaving Brooklyn for Boston was Reggie Evans. But when the deal was finalized, Evans remained a Net -- and he can thank Garnett for that.

Garnett told Newsday he insisted Evans be on the Nets' roster if he was coming to Brooklyn. As result, Evans was taken out of the trade that eventually sent forwards Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and Kris Joseph, guard/forward Keith Bogans, guard MarShon Brooks, three future first-round draft picks and the option to swap first-round picks during the 2017 draft.

From Newsday:

"I won't go into specific details of what I was wanting and dislikes and everything else when it came to building the business of basketball," Garnett said before the Nets beat the 76ers, 127-97, in Monday night's preseason game at Wachovia Center. "But I will say this: One of the key things for me was not only Paul and 'Jet' coming here with me to make it comfortable, but Reggie Evans had to be on the roster. That was a huge key for me coming here."

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Upon joining his new team, Garnett clued Evans in on his desire to be teammates and the power forward is thankful to remain with Brooklyn and play with a future Hall of Famer.

"He kind of told me a little bit like, yeah, I was one of the reasons of him coming back," Evans told Newsday. "I thought that was even more motivation because someone of that caliber wants to play with me. That shows I've got a lot of respect . . . If I was in a position of a lot of power from a player's perspective, I'd be wanting to play with him too.''