Nets trade Kevin Garnett to Timberwolves for Thaddeus Young

The Brooklyn Nets have traded power forward Kevin Garnett to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Thaddeus Young. Garnett agreed to waive his no-trade clause to return to Minnesota.

SI Wire | Feb 19, 2015

Nets trade Kevin Garnett to Timberwolves for Thaddeus Young /

The Brooklyn Nets have traded power forward Kevin Garnett to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Thaddeus Young, the Timberwolves announced on Thursday.

According to NBA.com's David Aldridge, Garnett agreed to waive his no-trade clause to return to Minnesota.

Minnesota hopes to sign a two-year extension with Garnett, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press. Garnett was aware of Minnesota's plans, which likely influenced his decision to waive the no-trade clause with Brooklyn.

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"We are excited to have Kevin Garnett back in Minnesota and playing for the Timberwolves," said Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders. "When people think of the Timberwolves they think of KG. He had some great years for us and our organization and fans really respect what he's done here in Minnesota and throughout his NBA career. KG will bring his usual strong work ethic and leadership and be a positive influence for our young team."

The Nets are currently 21-31 and sit one game behind the Miami Heat for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Timberwolves are 11-41, owning the second-worst record in the NBA.

Rare Photos of Kevin Garnett

1994

Kevin Garnett starred at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, where he led the squad to a 28-2 record his senior season and earned National High School Player of the Year honors. Though the T-shirt may indicate he had dreams of playing in Ann Arbor, he instead chose to enter the NBA straight out of high school.

1994

Kevin Garnett was named Mr. Basketball for Illinois after averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists and 7 blocks his senior season at Farragut.

1994

Kevin Garnett poses outside of Farragut Career Academy. KG played for Mauldin High in South Carolina for his first three seasons but transferred to Farragut before his senior year.

1995

Kevin Garnett became only the fourth player to jump directly from high school to the NBA, following Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby.

1995

Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Kevin Garnett was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. KG was joined in the Top 5 by Joe Smith, Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace.

1996

Kevin Garnett was joined the next year by Stephon Marbury and the two were expected to be the future of the organization.

1996

After Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury led Minnesota to the playoffs in 1997 and 1998, Marbury was traded to New Jersey after a dispute with management.

1999

Kevin Garnett's entourage — called the OBF (Official Block Family) — includes friends from Beachwood Drive in his hometown of Mauldin, S.C.

1999

Kevin Garnett strikes a pose.

1999

Kevin Garnett in a profile portrait.

2000

Kevin Garnett puts his arm around Vince Carter after leading Team USA to the gold medal in Sydney.

2000

Tim Hardaway, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen smile on the floor after leading Team USA to the gold medal in Sydney.

2000

High school star Darius Miles skipped college for the NBA and immediately drew comparisons to Kevin Garnett for their style of play. Those comparisons proved to be incorrect as Miles played nine injury-plagued seasons and is now out of the league.

2002

Kevin Garnett shows his skills during an NBA clinic in Tokyo.

2004

Kevin Garnett poses with Ludacris during an NBA All-Star Party in Los Angeles.

2004

After years of first-round playoff exits, Kevin Garnett was joined by Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell for the 2003-04 season. KG was named NBA MVP after averaging 21 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. The Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals before bowing out to the Lakers.

2004

LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Bernie Mac chat backstage during the 2004 ESPY Awards in Hollywood.

2006

Kevin Garnett travels to New Delhi to debut his limited edition 'Adidas KG basketball shoe.'

2007

Kevin Garnett chats with Barry Bonds before the 2007 All-Star game in Las Vegas.

2007

A day after being traded to the Celtics, Kevin Garnett reconnected with his old Minnesota buddy David Ortiz after throwing out the first pitch at Fenway Park.

2007

After the trade, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were immediately dubbed "The New Big Three" in Boston and became one of the favorites to win the 2008 NBA title.

2007

Kevin Garnett offers words of encouragement to Serena Williams at the Matt Leinart First Annual Celebrity Bowling Night in Hollywood.

2008

Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Kevin Garnett averaged 20.4 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game during the 2008 playoffs.

2008

A 15-time All-Star, Garnett finally won his first and only championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics.

2008

Kevin Garnett and his Celtics teammates meet President George W. Bush after winning the NBA Championship.

2008

Kevin Garnett poses with his wife Brandi at the 2008 ESPY Awards. The couple married in 2004, which forced KG to miss a chance to defend the gold medal in Athens.

2008

Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett dominated the power forward position for over a decade.

2009

Kevin Garnett poses with then-Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning during a promotional press conference for Wheaties.

2010

Kevin Garnett and LeBron James share a laugh on the bus ride to the stadium prior to the 2010 NBA All-Star game in Dallas.

2011

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Kevin Garnett poses for a portrait as part of the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

2011

John Sciulli/Getty Images for Activision

Kevin Garnett battles it out at the first ever Call of Duty XP at the Stages at Playa Vista in Los Angeles.

2011

Kevin Garnett and his wife Brandi attend Day 8 of the 2011 U.S. Open.

2012

Fans wearing masks of Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett pose during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Heat in Boston.

2013

Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant talk during the NBA All-Star practice in Houston. Garnett made 12 consecutive All-Star appearances from 2000 to 2011.

2013

Kevin Garnett poses with Magic Johnson befoe the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Canelo Alvarez fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas,

2013

Kevin Garnett looks on during his first preseason game in a Brooklyn Nets uniform.

2014

Jay-Z congratulates Kevin Garnett late in the fourth quarter of the Brooklyn Nets 97-83 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

2015

Eight years after being traded to Boston, Kevin Garnett returned to Minnesota in a trade with Brooklyn for Thaddeus Young.

2015

Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

Kevin Garnett throws out the first pitch prior to the Minnesota Twins game against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field in Minneapolis.

2015

Kevin Garnett poses with Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns for an SI cover shoot in Minneapolis.

Garnett was originally selected by the Timberwolves out of high school with the No. 5 pick in the 1995 NBA draft and spent the first 12 seasons of his career in Minnesota. He blossomed into a star with the T-Wolves, making the All-Star team 10 times and averaging 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in nine seasons.

But Garnett eventually grew frustrated with Minnesota's inability to field a contender and sought to leave the team, resulting in a trade to the Boston Celtics before the 2007-08 season.

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Garnett found greater team success in Boston, as the Celtics won the NBA title in his first season and made the NBA Finals again in 2010. Looking to rebuild, the Celtics traded the veteran pair of Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets in June 2013.

Garnett, 38, is currently averaging 6.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game for the Nets. In 19-plus NBA seasons, Garnett has averaged 18.3 points and eight rebounds per game, which includes 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game over 12 seasons with the Timberwolves.

Young, an eighth-year pro, was acquired last offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the three-team deal that saw Minnesota send disgruntled forward Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, the No. 1 picks in the 2013 and 2014 NBA drafts.

- Ben Estes

Published Feb 19, 2015

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