Nets" Optimism Comes at a Price Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images Billy King, the Nets' general manager, could finally talk about the team's newest acquisitions, but he left predictions up to others. ORLANDO, Fla. - The names slipped out before Billy King could catch himself. "Kevin," he said in passing. "Paul," he said in his next breath. All he could do was smile a wry smile and move on. No, the Nets cannot yet talk and gloat and rhapsodize about adding Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to their star-stuffed lineup. The trade that will bring those two to Brooklyn cannot be completed until Friday. So King, the Nets" general manager, had to censor himself Wednesday, as difficult as it was. "Obviously, I like our starting five," King said, smiling again. We're pretty good there. The N.B.A. lifted its moratorium on signings and trades Wednesday, allowing teams to announce and discuss the deals they made in the last 10 days, with a few exceptions. The Nets" trade with Boston, which was consummated in principle on draft night, will be delayed so the Nets can include Kris Joseph in the deal, via sign-and-trade. They will also soon complete the signings of center Andray Blatche and point guard Shaun Livingston. But the Nets were dealt a minor setback Wednesday when they learned that Bojan Bogdanovic, a sweet-shooting small forward from Croatia, would not be joining them as expected. Bogdanovic, a 2011 second-round pick, had been working on a buyout with his Turkish team, Fenerbahce Ulker, with plans to sign a three-year deal with the Nets. But the buyout negotiations faltered Wednesday morning, leaving the Nets with a vacancy behind Pierce on the depth chart. King alluded to "a backup plan," which could involve a run at Andrei Kirilenko, the multiskilled veteran forward. But with only a $3.18 million cap exception to spend, the Nets have to be considered a long shot. Kirilenko, 32, made $10.2 million last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he remains a hot commodity. The San Antonio Spurs were prepared to give him a contract averaging more than $8 million a year in a sign-and-trade deal, according to Yahoo Sports, but the talks broke down. The Nets lost another potential target Wednesday when Corey Brewer reportedly agreed to terms with the Timberwolves. After him, the market for free agent small forwards is thin. The Nets badly need a solid backup to avoid overplaying the 35-year-old Pierce. They can also use Joe Johnson at small forward at times. The Nets had offered Bogdanovic a starting salary of $2.4 million. His buyout with Fenerbahce would have cost more than $1 million, however, complicating the picture. It is unclear why the Nets did not offer Bogdanovic the full $3.18 million cap exception to help offset the buyout. It is possible that their record-setting luxury-tax bill, estimated at $75 million, might have posed an obstacle. The Nets had already conceded that they would not add a 15th player because of the additional tax hit. At this point, every million the Nets spend will cost them an additional $3.25 million in taxes. With Bogdanovic off the books, the Nets could break up his salary to spend on two lesser players, King said. But it appears the Nets are close to their spending limit. King, speaking a short time before the Bogdanovic deal fell through, spoke glowingly of the owner Mikhail D. Prokohorov's financial commitment in adding Pierce and Garnett to an already-expensive roster. "I think it's great for our fans, great for our organization, that we have an owner that's willing to spend the money, but I think spend it wisely," King said. We wouldn't have spent this way if we didn't think it would help us advance our common goal and win a championship. Asked if his roster is indeed championship-worthy now, King smiled again. "I don't know, I'll leave it up to you guys to make the predictions in October," he said.