T'wolves may regret making this trade
Kevin Garnett appears about to be traded, though not to the Bulls.
Well, I was half right.
(Hey! They was my deal! I've been working on it for two years.)
It seems the Minnesota Timberwolves finally got very serious this month after preliminary talks with Boston broke down before the draft when Garnett indicated he wanted to play in the Western Conference. There supposedly were talks with the Suns, Los Angeles Lakers and Warriors—and the Bulls were on the fringe.
Timberwolves sources say there were discussions about the Bulls' first-round pick, which they used for Joakim Noah, a future first-rounder, Tyrus Thomas and potential short-term contracts involving P.J. Brown and others.
Minnesota balked before the 2007 draft with the Bulls, though not as strongly as it did a year ago when the Bulls were willing to part with Luol Deng, Tyson Chandler and the No. 2 overall pick in the draft for Garnett. Teams then were told Minnesota would never deal Garnett.
That possible deal from a year ago, when the Bulls were strongly pursuing Garnett, remains a far better deal than the one the Timberwolves reportedly are poised to make. It would signal a major rebuilding and make them potentially one of the NBA's worst teams.
Even in February teams were being told the same thing, that Garnett was not available. But that all changed dramatically earlier this month when Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor reportedly decided not to offer Garnett an extension. Garnett can opt out of his contract after this season, so an extension is vital to any trade. The most serious talks continued with Boston as Minnesota general manager Kevin McHale apparently wanted to deal with former teammate Danny Ainge.
But Minnesota also went hunting for a bigger prize at the same time, asking for major pieces with several teams, including the Bulls. The requests generally included two of the team's starters, its best young players, draft picks and expiring contracts. So the Timberwolves then went back to the Celtics as the outrageous demands were scoffed at around the NBA.
It looked late Monday as if Garnett, the 10-time All-Star and zero-time NBA champion or finalist, was close to being dealt to the Celtics for a package of players, the best being Al Jefferson, and draft picks.
According to the Boston Globe, the Celtics will send Jefferson, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair and two first-round picks to the Timberwolves.
The deal is said to be agreed upon by both teams pending an agreement for a massive, $60-plus million contract extension for Garnett. It would put Boston deep into the luxury tax with several roster spots open, so there was still a question about a final agreement. But the players supposedly have been told to expect a deal.
If the trade goes through they may build a statue to McHale in Boston, though not for the three NBA championship teams McHale played for in Boston.
With the addition of Garnett—and the previous trade for Seattle All-Star Ray Allen—the Celtics, who have been past the second round of the playoffs once in the last 20 years, become an immediate contender in the Eastern Conference to make the NBA Finals.
Though Garnett is 31 and has played some 35,000 minutes in his career, he made the conference finals for the only time when his team had some talent with him in Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. Allen and Paul Pierce are far more talented and better regarded and would give Boston its most talented team since the Larry Bird era of the early 1980s.
Garnett, Allen and Pierce would be called upon to play major minutes with Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo likely the other two starters. The Celtics, with the suddenly huge payroll, likely would seek out veterans willing to play for the minimum salary for a chance to reach the Finals and play with the Big Three.
It could include players like Jalen Rose, P.J. Brown, Malik Allen, Danny Fortson, Chris Webber and Ruben Patterson with the Celtics' roster decimated with the two big trades. Not that there was much worth holding onto with that 24-victory roster.
It could also push Eastern teams, including the Bulls, to begin pursuit again of Pau Gasol, who could again come on the market with Memphis close to a rebuilding as well. Also, there were reports Jermaine O'Neal could be dealt to the Nets in a package for Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic, and it's likely talks about O'Neal will increase again.
Heck, the Eastern Conference could soon be back in vogue and much more competitive.
It would be a major coup for Boston general manager Ainge, who had been much criticized for the team's failures, and a big chance for coach Doc Rivers, who recently received an extension but remained, like Ainge, in jeopardy.
There will be a question about defense, though Garnett regularly is an all-league defensive player, and chemistry. The potential combining of stars reminds some of the Atlanta experiment in the late 1980s when Moses Malone and Reggie Theus joined Dominique Wilkins. It did immediately produce a 52-victory season, but cracked soon thereafter for lack of enough basketballs.
It seems similar to the situation developing in Denver with Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.
Also, it seems, like with the 76ers, the Timberwolves waited too long to make a deal and don't get close to value for a former league MVP. Minnesota now seems headed toward dramatically cutting payroll with expiring contracts and stockpiling draft picks to begin again.
One irony is that most of the troubles with the Timberwolves began with the illegal signing of Joe Smith, who signed a free-agent contract this summer to join the Bulls. Though the Bulls, like several other teams, had long coveted the talented, if not always successful, Garnett.
Now Garnett could be headed to the most historic franchise in league history, the Celtics of Bird, Bill Russell, Red Auerbach and a record 16 NBA championships. Can Garnett help deliver another?
See more at www.chicagotribune.com
