The Kevin Garnett Trade Was More Lopsided Than the Pau Gasol Trade

Hey, remember the Pau Gasol trade?

If you thought it was lopsided, perhaps you recall it as the "Kwame Brown trade." There was widespread caterwauling (caterwauling!) over how the Los Angeles Lakers had lucked out, how they'd been given a gift that your fantasy league commissioner would surely block.

When the Kevin Garnett trade happened, the outrage was less so. Boston had not competed for a title since the 1980s, so there was less of a "rich getting richer" vibe to the deal making. Also, the combination of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett felt more like a grand experiment than assured success.

The principle on Minnesota's side of the deal was a young, promising Al Jefferson. The perceived principle on the other side of the Gasol trade was the much-maligned Kwame Brown. Of course, we now know that Marc Gasol was the main trade piece going to Memphis, but that's retrospect talking. 

The Lakers and Boston Celtics prospered due to their trades, but so did the Memphis Grizzlies. For that latter reason, the Lakers-Grizzlies deal was less lopsided than the Celtics-Timberwolves swap. Memphis got a younger top big man and successfully re-signed him for a reasonable price. At this point, the Grizz are as good as the Lakers with a brighter future. 

The Timberwolves? Not so much. The Al Jefferson experiment did not work out exceptionally well, and they traded him to Utah after a few knee injuries. While Jefferson is a good player, and one who certainly helped the Jazz snag a playoff berth, he's a poor defensive player. This is in sharp contrast to Kevin Garnett, who might just be basketball's best defender at the ripe age of 36. 

And this is the key: Kevin Garnett is still going at age 36.

Nobody saw this coming back in 2007. I'd imagine that the T-Wolves would not have pulled the trigger on such a deal had they known of Garnett's future longevity. Between KG's near-immortality and Marc Gasol's improvement, it would seem that the Grizzlies made out much better than the Timberwolves.