New Jersey Sent Kittles and Cash to Los Angeles
On July 29, 2004, New Jersey traded longtime starting shooting guard Kerry Kittles and $1.5 million to the Los Angeles Clippers for a future second-round draft pick. The selection ultimately became No. 42 in 2005 and was associated with Chris Taft. New Jersey also generated a trade exception, a salary-cap tool distinct from a player or additional traded pick. Kittles had played all eight seasons of his NBA career for the Nets to that point and had been an important perimeter starter on their consecutive 2002 and 2003 Finals teams. Los Angeles hoped the veteran could improve its shooting guard rotation; New Jersey sought salary flexibility and a future asset.
Kittles Managed Only Eleven Clippers Appearances
Knee problems heavily limited Kittles after the move. He appeared in 11 regular-season games for the Clippers in 2004-05 with no starts, averaging 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists. His season ended early and he never played in another NBA regular-season game. The Clippers therefore received far less direct playing production than they might have hoped from an experienced former Finals starter. Their inherited C+ grade needs to be interpreted cautiously because the outcome was a brief reserve stint and a short career afterward. The Clippers did not obtain his earlier Nets postseason minutes merely by trading for him.
The Second-Round Asset and Exception Offered the Nets Alternatives
The Nets did not receive a starting player from the Clippers. Instead they obtained a 2005 second-round choice and the ability to use the salary exception to make later moves. Contemporary reporting and the Nets transaction ledger trace the future choice to No. 42, eventually associated with Chris Taft, but his later playing career should not be counted as New Jersey production without establishing where the rights were held. The Nets’ C grade reflects the modest direct draft asset alongside salary flexibility. Given Kittles’ eleven games after the trade, there is a case that the canonical Clippers Win verdict understates New Jersey’s compensation; that outcome should be independently regraded rather than silently revised in this editorial.
Final Verdict
Clippers Win in the inherited canonical classification, C+ to Los Angeles and C to New Jersey. Kittles produced only 11 Clippers games at 6.3 points per game before retiring. The Nets gained a 2005 second-round choice and cap flexibility; the winner and grades warrant later provenance and outcome review.