The Boston papers, and ESPN, are reporting that Kevin Garnett is heading to the Celtics. The deal, according to the Boston Herald, would give the Celtics KG in exchange for Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes and Theo Ratliff (who, two years ago, changed his name to "Theo Ratliff's Expiring Contract.") The Wolves will also get a #1 pick.
Can it be a "good trade for both teams" if it's consummated by two of the worst GMs in the league? Perhaps it can, or perhaps it can't. The deal, if finished, would give the Wolves an actual young core (Jefferson, Green, Gomes, Randy Foye, Corey Brewer, Rashard McCants, Craig Smith), while it gives Boston a veteran nucleus (KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen), along with a handful of young players, and no depth whatsoever. Could work for Celts, but it also sounds an awful lot like the Iverson + Webber + table scraps version of the Sixers two years ago, and all know how that turned out.
I do like that the Wolves are rebuilding, and besides, throughout sports history 6-for-1 deals have generally favored the team getting the big package (for Minnesota examples, see "Walker, Herschel" and "Viola, Frank.") My biggest complaint about the deal from the Wolves' standpoint, aside from the fact that they lose the best player in franchise history, is that they dump no bad contracts- they're still stuck with Marko Jaric, Troy Hudson and Mark Blount. Also, doesn't this leave them with twice as many players as will fit on an NBA roster? Aside from that, I suppose this is the best they could probably manage. Can't wait to see the resulting Bill Simmons column.