What the Kevin Garnett Trade Means for Boston and Minnesota

After an extended silence in the NBA trade market, it appears we finally have the blockbuster deal we've been waiting for.

Kevin Garnett will likely don Celtic green in the coming week, as the Boston front office has essentially gone all-in for this services.

The proposed deal would net Minnesota Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair (and his NRA marksmanship certificate), Gerald Green or Ryan Gomes, two first-round draft picks, and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.

Incredibly, two of the worst GMs in the game got together and made a deal that made sense for both of them—assuming of course that Garnett is willing to play in Boston.

With the addition of Garnett, the Celtics would finally have a clear mandate: Win now. A player of Garnett's caliber, in tandem with All-Stars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, would give a Boston a chance to do just that in the pathetic East.

At worst, you can expect the Celtics to win the Atlantic Division. At best, they'll rise to top of the Eastern Conference junkyard and play the role of "just happy to be here" team in the NBA Finals.

The T-Wolves, meanwhile, rid themselves of Garnett's gigantic salary, get cap relief in Ratliff's deal, land a very promising PF/C in Jefferson and a capable second-tier prospect in Green/Gomes...and pick up two more draft picks to help rebuild the team.

The Celtics still have a gaping hole at the point, so they'll need production out of Gomes (if he's still on the roster) or Rajon Rondo.

On the whole, the uncertain development of Green/Gomes makes the Celtics the winners in the deal. With Garnett, look for Boston to win 55 games and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals as a second seed. The T-Wolves will likely slip to 25 wins—but will season their younger players and hopefully build a solid foundation for the future.

 

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