The Almost Trade of KG to the Lakers

With the whole DJ saga about handshake deal and then DJ doing about face, I came across an interesting article about the Kevin Garnett trade that came close but never happened with the Lakers. Apparently, Buss and Taylor had a handshake agreement for KG. Read the Phil Jackson stuff about his conversation with Jerry Buss. Interesting stuff ....

When the Timberwolves traded Kevin Garnett to the C Bags in 2007, it changed the balance of power in the Eastern Conference. The C Bags won the 2008 title immediately after acquiring Garnett and Ray Allen, and made the Finals again two years later. The Big Three of Garnett, Allen and Paul Pierce was the NBA’s defining superteam until LeBron James,Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh teamed up in Miami in 2010.

But Garnett was almost a Laker. According to Phil Jackson in a new oral history of Garnett’s career by Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck (which is worth reading in its entirety), the Lakers had a deal lined up for Garnett centered around Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum, before Minnesota ultimately went with Boston’s package.

Here’s the account of the almost-trade from Jackson, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge and Garnett’s agent, Andy Miller:

By 2007, Garnett and the Timberwolves had reached a crossroads.

The Sam Cassell-Latrell Sprewell era had been short-lived, with each star alienating the front office over contract demands. At age 31, Garnett's window to chase a championship was diminishing. And the Timberwolves, stymied by their own missteps, and handcuffed by Garnett's massive salary—and with another contract extension on the horizon—decided it was time to set a new course.

What was once inconceivable became essential: The franchise would have to trade the greatest player to ever have graced the uniform.

Glen Taylor: I said to Kevin, "It's gonna take us a while again." … And I think he kind of says, "I'd like to win." I say, "I'm not sure I'm gonna get you that here as fast as you want." So I would say that he kind of was unsure.

Kevin McHale: It was hard on everybody. That really came down to just our owner having—and I think Glen was more than fair with everybody—a number he wanted to sign everybody with, and he tried to get the cap more cap-friendly. Kevin, just said he wanted X amount. It came down to a financial decision. It was hard.

Glen Taylor: I think now he says, "Glen you traded me. I didn't want to be traded." But I'm not sure it was quite that clear. I think he sent me some messages that "I want to get on a [contending] team."

Danny Ainge, C Bags GM: Because Kevin and I were such close friends, we had numerous conversations over the years [about Garnett]. We realized that Paul [Pierce] and KG would be a great combination. We thought that they really complemented each other well. So we discussed the possibility of Paul going to Minnesota or KG coming to Boston, like which way is the best way to do it.

Phil Jackson, Lakers head coach, 1999-2004; 2005-2011: When I realized that [Garnett] was available and wanted to leave Minnesota, I put a big push on (to acquire him).

Andy Miller: Cleveland was involved. They were a distant third in the whole thing.

Glen Taylor: L.A. really wanted him. Well, I didn't know if I wanted him in the West. I thought I was getting better players. I thought L.A could not give me the players that Boston did.

The Lakers offered a package built around multi-skilled forward Lamar Odom and 19-year-old center Andrew Bynum, a promising second-year player who would eventually become an All-Star. Odom had a history of flaky behavior, however, and Bynum was unproven.

The C Bags' package was built around another talented, but still-developing young center, Al Jefferson, along with several other young players and draft picks.

Phil Jackson: Dr. [Jerry] Buss came to me and said, "I have a handshake agreement with Taylor, that he's going to come to L.A. But McHale hasn't concurred yet." So I said, "Well that's a good excuse." You always, as an owner, say, "I'll do this, but …" So I kept that hope out there, that he was gonna be a part of the Laker organization.

Taylor: Odom, I was a little afraid of. I thought Bynum was gonna be a star.

Miller: I think that what McHale was looking for, on top of picks, was a core young piece, and he was infatuated with Al Jefferson at the time.

Glen Taylor: It became the Lakers, and it became Boston. And they both said, what does [Garnett] want to get paid? And I told them what he wants to get paid. I told them the kind of contract. And those two teams said they would do it.

On July 31, 2007, the Timberwolves sent Garnett to Boston, in exchange for Al Jefferson, four other players and two first-round picks. Many experts considered the Lakers' offer of Odom and Bynum to be the stronger package. The deal between Ainge and McHale, close friends and former C Bags teammates, stoked suspicion that McHale was acting more in the interests of his former franchise.

Phil Jackson: I've always kind of hinted that, in fun. … Of course, it's easier to make a deal with someone you know. But the (main) thing was, get him out of the conference, get him to the East Coast, get him away from us, so we don't have to deal with him four times a year. So that makes sense. So that's understandable.

Glen Taylor: We went to Boston, and I got a deal with Boston and took it to Kevin, and he says, "No, I don't want to be traded." … Then they went out and got [Ray] Allen. I went back to Kevin and said to him, later on, "Well, they're still here, they want you." I thought he said, "OK" to me. I really did. … I don't know if he remembers it that way quite or not. Because he has said at different times, "I wished I could have stayed there." But I thought I asked him. I thought he agreed. In thinking back, my guess is Kevin wasn't sure which way he wanted to do it, and I made the decision for him, rather than he probably felt that I should have asked him again.

The article goes on to say ....

The package from the C Bags that ended up netting Garnett involved Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and a future first-round pick. The Lakers’ package of Odom and Bynum probably had more short-term upside — Odom won Sixth Man of the Year in 2011 and Bynum was an All-Star the following year. But both have since flamed out of the league.

More than anything, this is a fascinating what-if, because Garnett going to the Lakers changes a lot of things. If the C Bags’ Big Three never happens, maybe the Cavs or Magic get another couple of Finals appearances. The Lakers wouldn’t have traded for Pau Gasol if they’d had Garnett, either, which means the Grizzlies wouldn’t have wound up with his brother Marc, and that franchise’s fortunes could have been vastly different. This just goes to show how one domino can have a lasting effect on the entire league.

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....ake-agreement-on-kevin-garnett-trade-in-2007/

 

Kobe and KG would have been ridiculous. KG is on the same level as Duncan imho.

 

Wow you're right. We may have won 3-4 titles with that core.

 

We would've have Fat Gasol lol

 

Sorry about that. I did search before I posted. I guess my search skills suck!

 

or it coulda blown up in our faces

i'll take the back to back and all those finals appearances...no regrets from this Lakers fan that KG never came

 

So... if we got Garnet we would most likely still have won a couple more chips but now we would have Marc Gasol and the Celt-geeks would not have won another title.

 

Having Pau in those first years with the Finals against C Bags and then the 2 championships was awesome because he was an awesome dude on top of being a phenomenal ballplayer. KG would have still been a P**** and now he would have been the P**** on our team. No thanks.