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Boston Celtics History: Did Kevin Garnett Almost Go to Lakers?
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- Boston Celtics History: Did Kevin Garnett Almost Go to Lakers?
Speaking on a recent interview , former Boston Celtics star and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett spoke about his decision to leave the Minnesota Timberwolves and join the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2007-08 season.
Garnett recalled liking the Celtics, and the option of teaming up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, better than other options that were available. He specifically recalled having an option to get traded to the Phoenix Suns, and he also mentioned the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he said no one could get Kobe Bryant on the phone, saying that Bryant was being "real arrogant," though he didn't expand on that.
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Regardless, the whole situation worked out well for the Celtics, who won the NBA title in 2007-08 with Garnett in the fold.
About Garnett
Now 50 years old, Garnett took the league by storm when he entered it out of high school in 1995. The No. 5 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft of the Timberwolves, he spent the first 12 years of his career with the Wolves before being traded to Boston.
The Celtics acquired him on July 31 from Minnesota for Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, and two future first-round picks.
That offseason, the Celtics had also acquired Allen, pairing the duo with Pierce. They won the NBA title after going 66-16 in the regular season.
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In total, Garnett spent six seasons with the Celtics, playing in 396 regular season games and averaging 15.7 ppg and 8.3 rebounds. He was the league's Defensive Player of the Year winner in 2007-08 and also made five All-Star Games with the Celtics.
Basketball Hall of Fame and former Boston Celtic, Kevin Garnett speaks with Brian Scalabrine during the number retirement ceremony after the game between the Boston Celtics the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
The Celtics traded him to the Brooklyn Nets after those six years, sending him with Pierce, Jason Terry, DJ White, a first and second-round pick for Keith Bogans, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace and four future first-round picks. Those draft picks turned into Jaylen Brown (2016) and Jayson Tatum (2017). The Celtics won the title again with those two at the helm in 2023-24.
Garnett will have his No. 21 retired Minnesota on Feb. 28, 2027. The Celtics will be the opponent for that matchup in a nice gesture by the Wolves.
Up next for the Celtics
Boston will be back on the floor on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET when it takes on the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are 1-2 while the Celtics are 1-1 through two games.
