Just when you thought it was safe to surf the Internet again, the KG rumor strikes again. Like some movie villian that was hit by a truck and lies on the ground for a few mintues before jumping up and grabbing the ankle of the starlet, this rumor just won't die. Memories of the AI trade rumors come flooding back. In fact, it has shades of the ARod debacle as well. Will it ever go away? Can we hope to hear the last of it by draft night or do we have to wait till after July 1st?
Anyway, enough lead in, here are Bulpett's quotes from today's paper.
Despite reports to the contrary, sources confirmed last night there is still life to a Celtics deal for Kevin Garnett. It was also stated strongly that the club would never make such a move before it had an agreement with the Timberwolves star on a contract extension.
Danny Ainge had no comment yesterday, but a source very close to the situation denied a report that the Celtics director of basketball operations and Minnesota counterpart Kevin McHale hadn’t discussed the deal in a week. The two did not talk toward the end of last week when Garnett’s agent, Andy Miller, told the Herald’s Mark Murphy and other reporters that his client didn’t want to go to Boston. That claim was later dismissed as posturing by someone in the Celtics organization.
The word last night is that the sides are letting the dust settle before revisiting the proposal this week. It remains uncertain whether all the requirements for a transaction - agreement on the principles, Garnett’s acceptance of an extension - can be arranged, but the topic is still on the table for the two clubs.
Now this is starting to remind me of another deal, the Gary Payton trade where he also didn't want to come to Boston, but was talked into it. Could that happen again? We'll see. What a week.
There's also that other deal for Shawn Marion, talked about here by Sam Smith:
Some insist that deal isn't dead yet, and talk of another trade continues to have legs.
All the particulars aren't established, but the basics are the Suns get Garnett, the Celtics get Shawn Marion and the Timberwolves get the No. 5 pick, the Hawks' unprotected first-round pick for next season, which the Suns hold, the Suns' two firsts this year (No. 24 and 29) and the expiring contracts of Kurt Thomas and Theo Ratliff.
The holdup supposedly has been Marion's reluctance to go to Boston—he has an opt-out clause after next season. But this is unlike Garnett's refusal. There's a huge market for Garnett; not so Marion. The Celtics would hold Marion's "Bird contract" rights. They'd be the only team that could realistically make up the $17.8 million Marion would give up if he opts out.