Brooklyn Nets Roster and 2013 Salary Information: Will the Huge Spending Spree Result to a Title?

The Brooklyn Nets will parade an overhauled roster next season after making huge moves this offseason. Already, the Nets are being tagged as one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, but will their revamped roster be enough to dethrone back-to-back champions the Miami Heat?

Earlier this month, the Nets completed arguably the biggest trade this offseason. They acquired veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry from the Boston Celtics in exchange for future first-round picks, Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph, and MarShon Brooks.

Brooklyn did not stop there. They also made huge free-agency moves. The Nets signed defensive-specialist Andrei Kirilenko and point guard Shaun Livingston, while also re-signing reserve big man Andray Blatche, forming one of the most potent benches in the NBA next season.

But while they assembled a team that could definitely contend for the title next season, the Nets could also have the biggest payroll in the NBA.

ESPN reported that the team's payroll could be around $101 million and could pay $83 million in luxury tax alone. The $83 million luxury-tax bill is bigger than the entire payroll of most teams in the league.

Pierce will earn $15.3 million next season, while Kevin Garnett is set to make $12 million in salary next season. On the other hand, next season the Nets owe Jason Terry $5,625,313; Kirilenko $3.1 million; and Livingston $1,272,279.

But despite having one of the highest payrolls, if not the highest, in the league, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is not batting an eye. The Russian billionaire took over the team three years ago, making a promise that he would be willing to spend billions just to win a title in his first five years with the squad.

The goal looks realistic considering the moves the team's made, but former coach Jeff Van Gundy said the Nets need to stay healthy. According to Van Gundy, the Nets have the best starting five, at least on paper, but their success could rely on how they will remain healthy all season long.

"If they play well and remain healthy, which is always a challenge for an older team, I think they have the best starting-unit talent in basketball," Van Gundy said.

Last season, Garnett missed 14 games for the Celtics due to bone spurs in his ankle and foot, while Pierce sat out five games due to an ailing elbow.