Kevin Garnett was close to joining Warriors before trade to Celtics
Kevin Garnett spent the better part of his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves before a blockbuster trade to the Boston Celtics.
However, that move to the Celtics nearly never came to be. Garnett almost went another route that could have altered the trajectory of his career.
During a recent interview on “Podcast P with Paul George,” former forward Matt Barnes voiced that Garnett was very close to signing with the Warriors.
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Barnes stated that the Hall of Famer forward wanted to play in California for either the Los Angeles Lakers or Warriors.
The Lakers were nearly an option, but Kobe Bryant didn’t make a significant internal push to land the star big man, which pushed Golden State heavily into the picture.
Although the Warriors almost landed Garnett, it was the Celtics who landed him.
He went on to spend six seasons with Boston, where he averaged 15.7 points and 8.3 rebounds headlined by leading the franchise to its 17th championship in 2008. it included him earning five All-Star game selections, a Defensive Player of the Year award, and four All-Defensive team selections (three first, one second).
Read: Celtics Secure Top Seed In Eastern Conference
Garnett’s career could have turned out quite differently potentially without an NBA title.
His arrival to the Warriors would come after upsetting the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs.
Garnett could have become the anchor and the missing piece to pushing the Warriors into NBA title contention alongside Barnes, Baron Davis, and Stephen Jackson.
His presence with the Lakers could have seen him and Bryant form one of the league’s top duos. However, it would have also not led to Los Angeles landing Pau Gasol, who helped lift the Lakers to two NBA titles in three Finals trips.
