June 2007
Despite apparent momentum in talks between the Celtics and Timberwolves for a trade involving Kevin Garnett, the man responsible for keeping the Minnesota All-Star happy doesn't believe he has a future in Boston.
``At this point, I don't believe it will go anywhere,'' agent Andy Miller said yesterday. ``It won't happen in Boston as far as my side of the equation is concerned.''
Miller declined to indicate whether Garnett is against the idea of playing in Boston, saying, ``There are a variety of reasons I don't want to get into.'' Many believe Garnett would like to join Steve Nash in Phoenix, and Miller is trying to make that happen now with his tough stance.
The most prohibitive aspect of a Garnett trade would involve his contract - the most expensive in the league.
An Eastern Conference official who had looked into a trade for Garnett earlier this season said yesterday that the 7-footer has a contract clause under which his salary increases by 15 percent if he's traded, with additional costs that come into play when contracts turn over on July 1. Teams are reportedly pushing for a trade now to avoid the additional expense.
Garnett, scheduled to make $22 million next season without the trade kicker, can opt out prior to the 2008-09 season - a huge risk for any team, like the Celtics, that makes a trade without securing a commitment from the big power forward.
Miller declined to get specific, but said, ``He has a number of provisions that would make it very unrealistic - downright suicidal - for any team to trade for Kevin Garnett without him wanting to go there.''
Miller, who has been highly complimentary of Danny Ainge's treatment of another of his clients, deposed point guard Sebastian Telfair, isn't talking out of animosity toward the Celtics.
Ainge, who acknowledged to the Herald last Monday that he has talked with Minnesota about a Garnett trade, yesterday sounded like he agreed with Miller's assessment when he said that the probable scenario for the Celtics remains to hold onto the fifth pick in the draft.
``That's what is most likely going to happen,'' he said.
But word across the league is that the Celtics are one of two or three teams most likely to pull the trigger on a deal for Garnett.
``We've talked to both teams, and (Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations) Kevin (McHale) acted like he was not trading Garnett, but yesterday we started to hear that it was real,'' the Eastern Conference personnel chief said yesterday. ``Kevin is actually trying to trade him.''
A second personnel boss, also in the Eastern Conference, agreed.
``I heard that Minnesota has been initiating these calls,'' he said. ``I know the Celtics are part of it, but they're not the only team that is now involved in this. There's a couple besides them who could make this happen.''
Two of the other organizations engaged in talks with Minnesota are believed to be Phoenix and Chicago - the former the subject of considerable speculation about Shawn Marion, and the latter location long considered a potential Garnett destination.
One rumor last week had the Celtics, Timberwolves and Suns combining in a three-way deal that would send Marion to Boston, Garnett to Phoenix and Al Jefferson and the No. 5 pick to Minnesota.
Ainge laughed at that scenario yesterday, calling it merely another example of how outlandish rumors get at this time of year.
``I've had conversations with about a third of the league about our pick, and at this stage there is more of a chance that we're going to hold onto it,'' he said. ``So few of these actually go through - that's generally what happens. You get maybe one deal for every 200 conversations.''
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