Kevin Garnett may have been traded to the Boston Celtics prior to the start of the 2007-2008 season and won a title with them that year, but what many do not know is he was supposed to play for another team instead.
The Big Ticket was apparently headed to the Golden State Warriors in a three-team draft night deal until then-owner Chris Cohan asked former general manager Chris Mullin not to push through with the trade, according to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report.
“Surrounded by a sea of yellow “We Believe” T-shirts and placards, [Baron] Davis’ dunk became the lasting image of that run. A more tantalizing one, though, never made it out of Mullin’s dreams: Davis and [Stephen] Jackson joined by Kevin Garnett — yes, that Kevin Garnett, still in his prime — to take the step the We Believers had left untaken.”
“It was basically done,” Mullin says. “I was doing an extension with Andy Miller on Kevin Garnett’s deal. KG liked Baron enough, and we had talked enough. He said, ‘Yo, I’ll do it.’”
A 2007 draft-night three-team deal with the [Minnesota] Timberwolves and Charlotte (then the Bobcats) would’ve sent Garnett to the Warriors, [Jason] Richardson to the Bobcats and picks and talent to the Timberwolves. It fell apart, Mullin says, when then-Warriors owner Chris Cohan dragged his feet and ultimately said no.”
The Dubs just came off one of their best runs in the previous season when they pulled off an upset against the top team in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks, in the first round of the playoffs despite only being the eighth seed that time.
Known for his unmatched intensity on the court, Garnett would've fit right with the Warriors and formed their own three-headed monster of him, Davis and Jackson. He was also in his prime, averaging 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.7 blocks in 2006-2007, which makes it even more fascinating to imagine what could they have reached with him in their lineup.
As it turned out, Garnett played nine more seasons in the NBA before announcing his retirement last summer. He is widely considered one of the best power forwards to ever play the game and has won almost all awards the league has to offer. The 40-year-old is still working around basketball and currently has his own segment on TNT's Inside the NBA.
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