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Remember when David Stern broke up the rumored megadeal that included both Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett? It was assumed by many that the teams would try to make one part of the deal, wait an uncertain amount of time, and then complete the other part. Basically, if you and I know that then so does the league and they are not having it.
Doc Rivers heading to Clippers for 2015 first-round pick, pending league approval - SBNation.com
However, sources believe that the NBA would approve one, but not both, of the rumored deals between the two clubs, meaning that the discussed Kevin Garnett trade for DeAndre Jordan is off the table. It's likely the Celtics will now retain Garnett, who has two years left on his contract, as well as a no-trade clause.
To reiterate: All indications are NBA WILL approve LAC deal for Doc Rivers. But all indications also are any KG-to-Clips trade gets blocked
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 23, 2013
And here's why: Teams can't put players in transaction for a coach. NBA sees KG being dealt to Clips, now or later, as part of same Doc deal
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 23, 2013
The NBA will not approve any subsequent exchange of players between the Clippers and Celtics this summer, and the teams understand that.
— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) June 23, 2013
With all that said, I guess you can never say never with these teams.
Will Celts & Clips pursue three-team (or more) trades that win NBA's blessing to land KG in LA? Who'd guess "no" after week we've just seen?
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2013
Danny has never been one to shy away from being creative, but I'm not sure how he gets something like this done.
Without the obvious choice of the Clippers with Doc Rivers, are there any other situations that make sense for Kevin Garnett to accept a trade to? The general consensus seems to be "no." So we're looking at the potential of KG remaining with the team this year.
KG still has that no-trade clause so he still has the power to control his own destiny. If the Celtics go into full rebuild mode and waive or trade Pierce for spare parts and cap room, would Garnett change his tune? Would he open up additional destinations that would make sense to him? Or would he decide to just call it a career and retire?
Lots of questions and I don't expect any solid answers for a little while. As usual, KG is reserved and private in the offseason. If something happens, I kind of expect it to be swift and sudden and without all the drama that surrounded Doc's exit. I also expect his decision to happen sometime after the draft and will likely have something to do with Danny's decision on Paul Pierce.
Remember that it was Pierce, not Doc, that KG specifically called out as being very important to him in his final press conference of the year. So what will Garnett do next? Probably watch and see what happens next. Just like the rest of us.