It was 10 years ago on Monday, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded franchise player Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics.
The Minnesota Timberwolves received Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff and two first picks (became Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington) in exchange for Kevin Garnett.
Jefferson was the biggest piece acquired. He was drafted right out of high school just three years earlier. He averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game in his final season with the Celtics.
He got off to a nice first season with the Wolves, averaging 21 points and 11.1 rebounds per game in 82 games. In his second season with them (2008-2009), he averaged 23.1 points and 11 rebounds, but played in only 50 games due to a torn ACL. The next season he averaged 17.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game and was traded after the season to the Utah Jazz.
Gomes played three seasons with the Wolves, averaging 12.3 points in 240 games (214 starts)
Green averaged 5.1 points in 29 games before being traded to the Houston Rockets during the season. He was well-known during his short Wolves stint for the Slam Dunk Contest. He finished second place to Dwight Howard. He had his signature moment when he blew out the candle on his cupcake during a dunk.
Telfair spent two seasons with the Wolves before coming back for the 2010-2011 season after a one year absence. In the 2008-2009 season, he averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 assists in 75 games. He is by the way related to former Wolves point guard Stephon Marbury. Like Marbury, Telfair wore No. 3 for the Wolves.
Ratliff appeared in only 10 games for the Wolves before being released later in the season. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
More from Dunking with Wolves
- The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
- Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
- In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
- Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
- Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?
Flynn and Ellington both became busts.
Garnett went on to win his first and only championship in his first season with the Celtics. He also was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year that year. He played in Boston for six seasons, making it to the All-Star Team five times. He spent 1 1/2 years with the Brooklyn Nets before spending the final 1 1/2 years with the Wolves before retiring.
It was tough for most fans to see Garnett go. He spent 12 seasons with the Wolves, leading them to eight playoff appearances. The Wolves to this day have not made it to the playoffs without Garnett and until he was drafted in 1995, they had never won more than 29 games in a season. Since the trade, the most games they have won without him was 40 games.
Though the trade did not help them, it was necessary for both sides. The Wolves needed to rebuild. They had missed the playoffs during Garnett’s last three seasons with them and he was getting older. It was good for Garnett too. He finally got the championship he had long hoped for and had the chance to play with fellow future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
The hope was that Jefferson would lead the Wolves back to respectability someday. That did not happen. He was only 22 years old when the trade happened and was one of the best low post players in the game. He was also a good rebounder, but struggled on the defensive side. He spent two of his three seasons with the Wolves playing with Kevin Love, who is also good, but both had very similar styles. Jefferson wanted to go to a better team and Love also looked like he could be the franchise’s cornerstone player. Love eventually asked to be traded too.
Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: Predicting ever player's season
Good news though is that the Wolves barring many injuries should be a playoff team for the