Multiple sources are reporting that this is basically a done deal, so it deserves its own thread. -Glenn


The Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, who nearly completed a blockbuster Kevin Garnett trade before the June draft, have resurrected those trade talks and are again locked in serious discussions, according to NBA front-office sources.

Multiple sources told ESPN.com on Sunday night that former teammates Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge have revived the deal that would end Garnett's 12-season association with Minnesota by sending him to Ainge's Celtics, with the Wolves getting back two of the assets McHale coveted most last month: Al Jefferson and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.

The deal depends on Garnett backing off his well-chronicled unwillingness to play in Boston. Yet sources indicated late Sunday that Garnett was warming to the idea, raising hopes on both sides that the deal will finally go through.

Garnett effectively blocked the Celtics' first attempt at trading for him by making it clear, through agent Andy Miller, that he would opt out of the final year of his contract (worth $23 million) and leave the Celtics in the summer of 2008. Had it gone through with that trade anyway, Boston would have potentially been parting with the blossoming Jefferson for a one-year KG rental.

But Garnett could now be amenable to the move, after the fiercely loyal 31-year-old learned how far along the Wolves were in negotiations with Boston in June and with the Celtics responding to the breakdown of its initial KG pursuit by trading the fifth overall pick in the draft to Seattle for All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen.

Expensive as it would be to employ a trio of All-Stars -- especially since Garnett is expected Celtics management is understandably optimistic about selling Garnett on thto demand a lucrative, luxury tax-triggering extension from his new team --e prospect of teaming with Allen and franchise mainstay Paul Pierce in an Eastern Conference for the taking. The Celtics would be expected to contend for an NBA Finals berth right away if the trade goes through, no matter what they put around that trio, after Cleveland advanced to the Finals in June with not even a clear-cut second star next to LeBron James.

Yet it remains to be seen, assuming that the Celtics secure Garnett's sign-off, what kind of package Boston can provide Minnesota now that the Celtics' No. 5 pick has been used by the SuperSonics to draft Georgetown's Jeff Green. The Wolves badly wanted that pick as part of their rebuilding plans.

It's believed that the latest incarnation of the deal would have Boston adding Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and multiple future draft picks to Jefferson and Ratliff in exchange for Garnett. It's also likely that other players would have to be added to the deal, since the salary-cap math involved would require both teams to account for Garnett's $6.75 million trade kicker.

Miller could not be reached Sunday night to provide Garnett's up-to-date stance on Boston. When the first round of Wolves-Celtics talks were made public, Miller told ESPN.com: "If a trade [from Minnesota] were to happen, that's not a destination that we're interested in pursuing."

Garnett has said for years that he doesn't want to leave his beloved "Sota," as he calls it, and has consistently refused to push for a trade, even with the Wolves missing the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. But Boston's cause might be helped by the possibility that becoming a Celtic or returning to Minnesota after he was so vigorously shopped are Garnett's only options.

ESPN.com reported in June that Garnett would be hoping for a trade to the Phoenix Suns if he did have to leave the only team he has ever played for. His reasons, according to sources: Garnett would prefer to play in a warm-weather city on a team with championship potential if he's forced to relocate. Another big factor: Garnett and Steve Nash have become good friends over the past few years, starting in 2005 when Garnett was one of the first players in the league to call Nash and congratulate him on his first MVP trophy.

Phoenix, Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers all joined Boston in making hard trade pushes for Garnett before the June 28 draft. Dallas also expressed serious interest despite its inability to realistically join the chase until after July 1, when the Mavericks could again manufacture at least one cap-friendly contract to offer the Wolves.

The Suns, though, have apparently dropped out of the bidding, unable to make a deal work financially and unwilling to part with Amare Stoudemire. Golden State's chances, meanwhile, took a hit when a potential three-team Garnett trade involving Charlotte collapsed on draft night, with the Warriors deciding they couldn't wait on a maybe and proceeding instead with the trade of Jason Richardson to the Bobcats.

Sources nonetheless insist that McHale has had the Celtics at the top of his list from the start, mainly because of his fondness for Jefferson and Minnesota's natural desire to move Garnett out of its conference. But some teams also believe that McHale's comfort level negotiating with Ainge was another key factor. The former Celtics colleagues remain close and frequently watched games together during the recent NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

The Wolves made the determination near the end of the playoffs that they would seriously entertain the prospect of trading Garnett for the first time, according to team sources, with Garnett being informed of that change in philosophy directly by owner Glen Taylor.

Taylor announced in mid-July that the organization was no longer looking to move the NBA's 2004 MVP, telling the St. Paul Pioneer-Press that Garnett's "preference was that we not trade him." Yet just days earlier, one rival executive insisted to ESPN.com that he knew "for a fact" that Minnesota remained intent on trading Garnett before the 2007-08 season starts.

Garnett rejected the initial move to Boston even though it would have put him in the easier-to-conquer East and even though he is friendly with Pierce. But he was undeniably stung by the near-trade, sources said, which only increased his growing frustration with McHale and Taylor and left him bracing for a trade ever since.

"This would be a major trade that would affect a franchise and those in the organization, so you better be sure [he wants to be there long term]," Miller said last month after squashing the original trade.


UH OH!!!!

Celtics want to win and apparently dont give a fuck about their future.

the new Celtics lineup

Rondo
Allen/Allen
Pierce/gomes
KG/Glen Davis
Perkins/Kandi man

Too bad they let go of Allan Ray as he'd be perfect right now for the Celtics. I

That would be a good "team", for sure.

Hopefully that nearly $7m trade kicker makes the deal less plausible.

They could sign alot of people right now including Brevin Knight or Jannero Pargo at the 1 spot to backup Rondo. If they manage to sign a few people to solidify their bench, this team is officially a contender. wow...

http://draftexpress.com/blogs.php?blogid=8


NBA Market Watch: KG to Boston

by: Eric Weiss
July 30, 2007

Multiple sources close to the situation told DraftExpress Sunday that the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves have come to terms on a trade exchanging Kevin Garnett for a package including Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, and Theo Ratliff. The exact details of the trade aren’t known at this point, but it is believed that the deal will be completed shortly with similar parameters.

This deal has been rumored for most of the summer, but according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation, the main hold up had been the negotiation of a contract extension for Garnett. According to this source, Garnett’s camp is asking for a 5 year extension worth 125 million dollars. Whether or not the two parties have altered the initial proposal or agreed to it is not known, but apparently some accord has been reached. Garnett has an opt-clause in his contract for next season that he has essentially been using as leverage to get traded and secure his financial future with the team that acquires his services.

It had been widely assumed that the initial deal between the clubs had fallen through when Garnett’s agent publicized that his client was not interested in going to Boston. But circumstances seem to have progressed since that stage, to the point where one prominent player on the Celtics responded to inquiry by stating the team was “winning the Eastern Conference” next season, after having learned of Garnett’s imminent arrival.

This move signifies a major power shift in the Eastern Conference. Garnett joins veterans Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to form arguably the best trio in the NBA. The team now has three potential Hall of Fame players in their prime to contend in a conference that is wide open. Each player is over 30 years of age, but should remain effective for the life of their deals.

Executive Director of Basketball Operations chief Danny Ainge has mortgaged a sizable portion of the team’s long-term future to secure a title contending team however. Jefferson was recently selected by USA Basketball as one of the rising stars in the league and is only 22 years of age. The team will have to rely on their faith in the All Star veterans’ abilities to maintain a high level of performance deep into their 30’s. If KG, Pierce, and Allen can duplicate the career longevity of Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, and Reggie Miller for example, the Celtics will have a larger window to work with.

Ainge has been highly scrutinized for his apparent lack of organizational direction these past few years, but his patience looks to have paid off. His commitment to acquiring young assets and parlaying them into more established stars has come to fruition. The team is scheduled to hold training camp overseas this season, so the timing was flawless for a move that is sure to re-invigorate the sizable international fan base. The team is sure to enjoy a sizable increase in national media attention as well. The team didn’t have a single network game scheduled last season. That should change this year.

5 yrs 135 million?

very intriguing. boston still wont win a championship but atleast theyll be relevant, and that jesus shuttlesworth trade will actually make sense now.

i cant wait for this season to start. im definitly buying the nba package this year.

I wonder how much in luxury tax this is going to cost them?

Wyc Grousbeck doesn't owe them anything.

I thought KG was afraid of leprechauns?

This is either going to be awesome or it's going to blow up hilariously in Boston's face.

From historical evidence, I'm leaning toward the latter. I've officially decided that KG is a masochist who hates himself and wants to die.

If they could keep those 3 together for a few years that would be scary. They could fill in the rest of the roster with role players and still win a ton. Too bad they are going to be way over the cap (if they kept them all around).

Wow I missed the 125 for 5 years part...that's fucking insane. 25 mil per year.

I thought KG was afraid of leprechauns?

This is either going to be awesome or it's going to blow up hilariously in Boston's face.

From historical evidence, I'm leaning toward the latter. I've officially decided that KG is a masochist who hates himself and wants to die.

He loves his dogs though. Plasmas in their dog houses and Evian in their water bowls.

Welp, I guess you gotta do something with that money.

wow, looks like, for the first time since i moved to the boston area 2.5 years ago, i might have to pay attention to the Celtics.

They want to win now, though I think they won't. However, that franchise is in such terrible shape that even if the kg/pierce/ray trio gets to the ECF, they've technically "won". Going from the lottery to the ECF is huge for a franchise.

Its funny, the Celtics pulled off essentially what everyone thought the Bulls were doing - stockpiling young guns, then unloading them for veteren help. but the bulls are pretty good now so whatever.

Its funny, the Celtics pulled off essentially what everyone thought the Bulls were doing - stockpiling young guns, then unloading them for veteren help.
Only difference is that the Bulls developed their talent, where the Celtics talent is still mostly undeveloped (thought they've all been in the league roughly the same amount of time). Also the Bulls put quality guys around the young talent and actually stuck to a plan, whereas the Celtics kept Pierce then just threw a bunch of crap together to fill out the rest of the roster, having no plan and no direction.

The Bulls also added their star (Ben) in free agency rather than trade their young pieces for him.

Wow, if Ainge gets KG without giving up Jefferson, then, just wow.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2007/07/new_twists_in_g.html


New twists in Garnett talks

By Shira Springer, Globe Staff

Kevin Garnett soon could become the newest member of the Celtics, multiple league sources said this afternoon, but two of the sources cautioned that any trade may not be as imminent as some early reports indicated.

As the trade currently stands, the Celtics would send Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two first-round picks to the Timberwolves for Garnett.

Al Jefferson is not included in the deal at the moment.

It is uncertain how the teams would deal with Garnett's trade clause that calls for a 15 percent salary increase.

As of this morning, there still remained issues on the table to negotiate, not the least of which is the player option worth $24 million that Garnett holds for the 2008-09 season.

“There are serious discussions in place,” Andy Miller, Garnett's agent, said this morning.

When asked about the option as well as Garnett’s willingness to play in Boston, Miller added: “Part of the discussion that is taking place is addressing those issues as well as others to see if the destination makes sense for all parties. Everything is part of the overall picture as to how to bring this to a conclusion or go in a different direction.”

When trade talks between Minnesota and Boston took place before this year’s draft, the option plus Garnett’s hesitancy to play in Boston, as relayed through his agent, were considerable sticking points. If Garnett agrees to take his player option as a condition of the trade, the Celtics also will likely look to come to reasonable terms on an extension as another condition of the deal.

Wow no Jefferson means Celtics could be making one heck of a deal

Great, the Celtics would have two of my favorite non Pistons players (KG & Paul Pierce) and now I can't root for them because they BOTH would play for Boston.

im actually thinking boston could buck the trend of "supergroups" flaming out. situations like this almost never work, too much ego, guys are usually way past their prime, etc, etc. see the late 90's houston rockets and the late 80's travelling wilburry's as examples of what im talking about.

but i think this works out. 1) imo, paul pierce is one of the better professionals in this league. his game is all about winning, and he's also a very elite talent thats been forgotten on a crappy team. garnett is the same to a fault. as for shuttlesworth, he really impressed me by taking care of his sister while he was in highschool, and him choosing big state university really showed character.

2) all these guys have had injury problems as of late, but they also rested during the seasons. and its not like they were wearing themselves out in the playoffs lately.

3) the big three still have alot to prove to validate their careers.

my only doubts are they still have ainge there to put the final pieces around them and they still have doc rivers their fucking up as coach.

also until this deal is official i dont think it will happen.

Shit if they keep Jefferson they become the favorite to win the East. They have a top 3 player in the east at 4 positions.

Ray Allen isn't a top 3 SG in the East...DBTM


and I don't even think Paul Pierce is a top 3 SF in the East...


Besides, you have Ray Allen, Pierce and KG...

and about 12 D- players...this team is better on paper than it will be on the court

Pierce will definitely be great again this year, IMO, now that the Celtics are trying to win.

and I don't even think Paul Pierce is a top 3 SF in the East...



Which 3 are better?

James. That's it.

I'll give you James, as hard....and painful....as that is for me.

*screams into pillow*

I think Jeffersons gonna be in the deal or else McHale is going to get shot by the few angry wolves fans.

Jefferson has to be involved or just disband Minnesota

I'll give you James, as hard....and painful....as that is for me.

*screams into pillow*

Anyone can be great when they're allowed to be a wide receiver -- you know, just tuck the ball at the 20 yard line and spike the ball in the end zone.

Yay, the East has one more team worth watching. Only if Stern hadn't given the NBA's future to the West this past draft, there'd be the possibility of a true East resurgence.

This trade is the only way the Allen deal makes sense. They're just really going all or nothing here, considering they've given up the #5 pick, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson and any cap flexibility for a two or three year run at the title. If it works, it's worth it, but I still don't think they have enough to win it all. The East is theirs if they mesh together well.

still huge voids at PG and C, as far as proven capable vets go. plus a thin bench. nice move by boston but this only makes them a top 4 team in the east. sure they'll contend and be much better.

but they're no cinch to even make it out of the east. i still see us, miami, cleveland right at the top. boston will fight their way to work up into that group.

With Doc Rivers at the helm, I'm not worried about Boston, even if Chris Webber decides to try and chase a ring there.

So this basically re-makes the TWolves into the Pierceless Celtics.

Enjoy the lottery (again) TWolves fans.

Official.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2954127


Sources: Celtics, Wolves agree to Garnett megdeal

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

Updated: July 31, 2007, 2:36 PM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, who nearly completed a blockbuster Kevin Garnett trade before the June draft, resurrected those talks in recent days and have agreed to a megadeal that is likely to be announced later Tuesday, according to NBA front-office sources.

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com on Tuesday afternoon that the required trade call has been completed by the league office, which should soon lead to a news conference in Boston that formally brings a blockbuster end to Garnett's 12-year association with the Wolves.

The Boston Herald reported on its Web site Tuesday that Garnett has agreed to a three-year extension with the Celtics, in addition to the two years left on contract, which would keep him in Boston through the 2011-12 season. The Herald also reported that Garnett is expected to arrive in Boston later Tuesday for a physical.

The package going back to Minnesota, sources say, is built around two assets Wolves vice president Kevin McHale has long coveted: Al Jefferson and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.

It is believed the deal also calls for the Celtics to ship youngsters Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and Ryan Gomes to Minnesota, along with a future first-round draft pick and the return of a first-rounder the Wolves surrendered in the Wally Szczerbiak-Ricky Davis trade in January 2006.

The clincher, though, was Garnett's willingness to back off his well-chronicled refusal to play in Boston. Garnett's unwillingness to make a long-term commitment to the Celtics abruptly took this deal off the table in June, but McHale and his Boston counterpart, ex-teammate Danny Ainge, managed to resuscitate the trade and quickly move it to the brink of completion.

Among the details that held up completion were discussions between Garnett's camp and the Celtics about the contract extension and the nearly $5 million of a $6.75 million trade kicker salary-cap rules would forced Garnett to waive if the Celtics don't add any other players to the five already in the deal. But word began to spread Monday night that the Celtics had cleared those hurdles with Garnett and secured the long-term reassurance they are seeking from the 10-time All-Star.

Garnett effectively blocked the Celtics' first attempt at trading for him by making it clear, through agent Andy Miller, that he would opt out of the final year of his contract (worth $23 million) and leave the Celtics via free agency in the summer of 2008. Had the original trade gone through, Boston potentially would have been parting with blossoming Jefferson for a one-year Garnett rental.

But Garnett now is said to be amenable to the move, after the fiercely loyal 31-year-old learned how far along the Wolves had been in negotiations with Boston in June and with the Celtics responding to the breakdown of its initial pursuit by trading the fifth overall pick in the draft to Seattle for All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen.

Expensive as it would be to employ a trio of All-Stars -- especially with Garnett eligible for a four-year extension from his new team worth an estimated $116 million -- Celtics management has made the commitment to stray into luxury-tax territory for the opportunity to team Garnett with Allen and franchise mainstay Paul Pierce in an Eastern Conference for the taking. The Celtics would be expected to contend for an NBA Finals berth right away if the trade goes through, no matter what they put around that trio, after Cleveland advanced to the Finals in June without even a clear-cut second star next to LeBron James.

KG will be introduced as a Celtic at a 5:30 pm presser.

KG will wear #5, since #21 is retired in Boston.

It will be interesting to see if the Celtics can add some gravy train vets (Brevin Knight, Dale Davis, etc) like the Heat, Spurs, Suns and I suppose we have done (Webber).

Damnit.:emo kid:

KG will wear #5, since #21 is retired in Boston.

It will be interesting to see if the Celtics can add some gravy train vets (Brevin Knight, Dale Davis, etc) like the Heat, Spurs, Suns and I suppose we have done (Webber).

So who did they retain after the Allen and KG trades?

I know they have Glen Davis and Pruitt coming in.

Leon Powe, Glenn Davis, Tony Allen, Gabe Pruitt, Brian Scalabrane, Brandon Wallace.

That's their whole bench.

They need to add another true center in the mix (or I should say a true center period). Maybe Nazr? I can't see anything on their roster I want though besides Pruitt.

They were able to keep Rondo, someone that McHale really wanted.

Boston still has the MLE available, don't they?

The tax hit could be severe, but if they are going for it, it might be worth it.

it would be unforgivable to get these three and then make them play 3-5. no way they pull a chicago pt 2.

the more i think about, the higher my expectations are for this team. people will point to all three missing the playoffs last year. but all three of these guys are good enough to carry a team to the playoffs themselves if they want to (i think all three being in hopeless situations werent really bringing it like normal last year). hollinger is nuts to project 46 wins for this team.

Their presser is on right now...3:50pst.

To sum it up in one word...'giddy' imo. None of them would bite when asked are you the team to beat. They said several times its about chemistry too. So they seemed pretty grounded for being quite happy about all 3 of them being on the same team.

When asked why he left Minni, KG said when he talked to mgmt, he didn't agree with the way they thought the team shoulg get better. I think he was saying something about they wanted to get younger.

I heard the Celtics might get Ryan Gomes back now...why the hell would Minny cut him, I think Gomes is has tremendous upside (although I'm biased I've liked him since his days at Providence)...

I heard the Celtics might get Ryan Gomes back now...why the hell would Minny cut him, I think Gomes is has tremendous upside (although I'm biased I've liked him since his days at Providence)...
Couldn't agree more. Stupid move. If you want to get younger and you get a solid young role player with some potential in a trade, you keep him, not cut him. Stupid.

If they cut him, we should try and steal him.

I wanted the Pistons to draft him to back up Tay.

I would've been happy with Gomes at #26 a couple years back.

Can we use the delfino trade exception to pick him off waivers or does he not have a contract? I would drop dupree in a heartbeat to pick up gomes.

Can we use the delfino trade exception to pick him off waivers or does he not have a contract? I would drop dupree in a heartbeat to pick up gomes.

Ryan Gomes has a salary of 770K for next season. Anybody in the NBA can pick that up.

If they plan to cut him anyway, we should offer the trade exception and their #2. That way they save money and get their pick back. However, with a team as weak as minn, i don't see why they would cut him. with mchale, who knows.

I don't get why they would cut him, either.

He could be the second best player that they got in the deal (not counting draft picks).

Boston is now Denver East

I'm not that worried about all of this

They wouldn't cut Gomes, that is stupid.

LOL @ Skip Bayless slobbering all over Tim Duncan's nuts on First Take while they talk about Garnett as a basketball player. What a joke...I can't believe I'm rooting for Stephen A on this one.

I saw that as well, Tim, but I'd probably be closer to siding with Skip. I'd put KG in the top 10 anyday, but not top 5. I'd also say that TD is the best player in the league. Both Steven A and Skip are nuts, IMO, so I don't put much stock in their thoughts.

I just can't see how he'd not take Garnett in his top 15. Steve Nash in his top 5?

Agreed, Nash is just overrated because he's Canadian.

Nooffenseifanyofyouareofcanadianancestry

Agreed, Nash is just overrated because he's white.

fixed

Duncan is easily a top 5 player in this league with KG being in the top 10 as well.

If Nash is a top5 player in this lague, then Nazr is a top 10 center in this league.

Thanks Chauncey!!

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070810/SPORTS03/70810005/0/SPORTS03


Billups helped convinced Garnett to become a Celtic

August 10, 2007
FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

Chauncey Billups doesn't seem to mind that he made the Eastern Conference tougher for the Pistons.

According to the Boston Globe, Billups, one of Kevin Garnett's good friends, helped sway the big man to join him in the Eastern Conference.

Garnett sought counsel from two of his closest friends in the NBA, Billups and the Hawks' Tyronn Lue while contemplating the move from Minnesota to Boston.

At first Garnett did not want to leave Minnesota but in the end realized a trade would be best for the Timberwolves and his own future.

Lue told the Globe: "I talked to KG and it was tough at first because he's so loyal to Minnesota, his family, friends, and the fans. All he knew was Minnesota for the last 12 years. I thought Boston would be a great situation, a perfect situation with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. I thought automatically they'd be in the Eastern Conference finals with KG. He thought about it and asked, 'You think so?' I said, 'Yeah.'

"Then, Chauncey came out and said, 'You have to take the best thing for you and that's playing in Boston, even though we'd be in the same conference and play four times a year.' We definitely convinced him to choose Boston because two great players were already in place. Adding KG and being in the Eastern Conference, it'd be easier to win.

"Then, KG asked me, 'What about the city?' I said, 'You don't go out anyway, so it doesn't matter. You don't go out of the house. You could play in Alaska.' He's like, 'Yeah, you're right.' "

With the addition of Garnett, the Celtics immediately become one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Along with Pierce and Allen the Celtics have a fearsome threesome not many teams in the East can compete with.

According to sportsbook bodog.com, the Celtics went from 40-1 odds to win the Eastern Conference to 5-2.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders told Sports Illustrated: "I never had anyone with as much passion as KG. Practice, shootaround, games--it didn't matter. That has to be contagious."

At least we'll have him on the eastern all star team...

the only one who was far off was hollinger predicting 46 wins...

Wait. . .

You mean KG was traded to BOSTON?!

:)