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The Minnesota Timberwolves are apparently a nostalgic lot.
According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the club is trying to bring aging power forward Kevin Garnett back to the place where his remarkable NBA journey began 20 years ago.
The deal reportedly being discussed would see the Wolves ship forward Thaddeus Young to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Garnett, a swap that could become part of a larger multi-team deal involving the Oklahoma City Thunder. Any deal would be contingent on Garnett waiving his no-trade clause.
That's something Garnett will speak to the Wolves about on Thursday, according to a report from Tim Bontemps of the New York Post. The Wolves are said to be unsure if Garnett would be amenable to such a move, but the fact that Garnett is only considering this trade and not any other trade scenario or buyout can be looked at as a positive.
With his contract up at season's end, and 1,562 NBA games weighing on his 38-year-old knees, this would almost certainly be a curtain call for Garnett - a chance to bring his career full circle.
Garnett has been adamant that he's committed to the Nets this season, but the Wolves hope to appeal to his sentimental side, with a chance to give him a proper send-off while reuniting him with longtime former coach Flip Saunders.
The two remain close, and Saunders reportedly has a mind to get Garnett aboard as something like a mentor for his promising but green young squad. Saunders' relationship with Garnett is something he's spoken about glowingly this season, and his time with a young Garnett may have shaped how he's handling rookies like Andrew Wiggins now.
Considering the Timberwolves surrendered a first-round pick to get Young this past offseason, trading him for the right to host the Garnett Farewell Tour might leave a bit of a sour taste on the tongue. But holding onto Young and carrying his near $10-million salary (assuming he opts in) next season wouldn't taste any sweeter, even if he is a quality player and strong veteran leader on a team otherwise somewhat lacking in experience.
Ultimately, this will likely be up to Garnett, and whether he'd rather finish things out on a potential (far-from-guaranteed) playoff team in Brooklyn, or on the 11-42 team that drafted him fifth overall out of high school in 1995. There's also the matter of Garnett wanting to buy the Timberwolves when he retires, with a return to the franchise possibly working as a stepping stone to a post-retirement role with the organization.
In 12 seasons with the Timberwolves, Garnett averaged 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks. He made 10 All-Star teams, three All-NBA first teams and six All-NBA Defensive first teams, and he won his first and only NBA MVP award in 2003-04.
He is the franchise's all-time leader in games played, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, and basically every single other category.