From foxsports.com and Chicago Sun-Times: http://www.suntimes.com/output/bulls/cst-spt-roman14.html Bulls would pay heavy price for Garnett Chicago Sun-Times What would it take for the Bulls to land Kevin Garnett? The Sun-Times' Roman Modrowski reports that because the Bulls don't have enough cap room, the only way the Bulls could land Garnett appears to be via a trade. If the Bulls were to strike a deal with the T-Wolves, it would likely cost them half their team and the most talented player to come into the league in years: Jalen Rose, Eddie Robinson, Donyell Marshall, Jamal Crawford and LeBron James.
Then the Bulls would have a front line of Curry, Chandler and Garnett. Talk about HUGE! All 7 footers and all very athletic. Then you add Jay Williams and find some role player at the 2 spot and a couple of bench scrubs and you are set. The whole basis of the deal though is Garnett for James. Garnett is a proven commodity which James is not.
that actually sounds like a pretty fair deal. it makes the bulls a dynasty in the east and gives the wolves a lot of talent (although I would get either Curry or Chandler instead of Crawford)
LebRon James and Jalen Rose is not worth Garnett, which in my opinion, is the trade. Although I would say that is very close, I'd rather have a player who simply cannot be guarded like KG. Garnett is invaluable in my opinion. If minnesota had any cap room they would be in a position to really grow as a team. It's almost sad they've had to struggle so much in terms of personnel.
Man, I still can't believe that Kevin Garnett has been in the NBA for 8 seasons The Timberwolves would be nuts to trade him. They have a top 5 player and a high scoring small forward. If they can get a good defensive point guard, I think they can be title contenders. They need convince Garnett to re-structure his contract...
Trading that load for KG still leaves the Wolves cap poor. But roster improved? More able to wheel and deal? I love that KG. I'll stick with him, thank you.
Add Wally Szcerbiak and Curry or Chandler and it would be a happy trade. That's a load of bull for sure. Never trade Kevin Garnett. But never pay him more than $30 million.
Such a trade would never happen. Chicago will not get Lebron James and if they did they wouldn't trade him.
i can't believe the wolves would trade Garnett, he is the MVP, if he only had some decent players around him, he would be a contender. the only reason would be because of his huge contract the wolves can't get a decent player. but still keep Garnett.
KG is a MVP. You never trade a MVP. Even for salary reason. You should never do it. Nor you should ever trade someone with the potential like Lebron James. Chicago writers are as ridiculous as Houston writers (who proposed for Malone) it seems.
The story: Operation Chicago Freedom was completed Monday when owner Jerry Reinsdorf finished the liberation of the Bulls from Jerry Krause's chubby grip by naming former Bulls guard John Paxson as the team's GM. It's now everyone's prerogative to give Paxson a little bit of unsolicited advice. Here goes mine. Paxson's first, and only, objective this summer should be to find a way, any way, to pry Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves. Paxson has a great reputation in Chicago as a student of the game, an honest, trusting man with a great feel for players and how to fit them together. That's nice and all, but his greatest attribute is simply that he isn't Jerry Krause. Chicago is one of the most desirable free-agent markets in the NBA. But Krause's rep as the guy who stubbornly broke up the Bulls has scared away almost every top-flight free agent in the league. When Krause, along with Bernie the Bull, came calling, the free agents started running. With Krause out of there, the Bulls will once again be open for business. They should start, and end, with Garnett -- a Chicago native who has always dreamed of playing for the Bulls. "They have a good team, and they just have to get a couple of people around there, and it will blossom into something beautiful," Garnett told the Chicago Sun Times recently. "They have a lot of good, young players who someday will be dominant in this league." Kevin Garnett is the Timberwolves' all-time leading scorer. A couple of people? Try one. Injecting KG into the Bulls' mix of young, athletic big men would immediately propel the terri-Bulls from lottery dwellers to the beasts of the East. Prying KG away from the T-Wolves this summer won't be easy. Not only do the Wolves desperately want to re-sign Garnett to an extension, his $28 million salary next season means the Bulls would need to give up a massive portion of their roster to make such a deal happen. It isn't impossible. The Bulls are loaded with young players. Combine them with a few veterans and the T-Wolves could get a potent infusion of talent that would make Garnett expendable. What could Paxson offer the T-Wolves? He'd start with No. 2 pick Jay Williams. Williams has been shaky this season and seems to have lost the respect of his teammates. He's been outplayed by Jamal Crawford, who at 6-foot-6 arguably has a better upside. Williams' trade value is still high, however, and most teams feel he still has the chance to be a star if he plays in the right system. Then we'd throw in third-year forward Marcus Fizer. Fizer always has been one of coach Flip Saunders' favorite players, and he's been instant offense for the Bulls when he gets into the game. Better yet, Fizer's contract is up at the end of next season. If he doesn't pan out, the Wolves aren't tied to him long term. Now for the tough part, because pairing Williams and Fizer only gets us to about $8 million. The Wolves also would have to take on Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall to make the numbers work. Marshall is a no brainer. He makes a reasonable salary and his contract comes off the books after the 2004-05 season. Rose will be a harder pill to swallow. His salary is at $13.3 million next season, and he has four years left on his contract. Rose does have an opt out after next season, but given the financial climate around the league, he's unlikely to to want to give up that money. Williams, Fizer, Rose and Marshall would give the Wolves essentially four starters for the price of one. Combine them with Wally Szczerbiak, Radoslav Nesterovic, Troy Hudson and Joe Smith, and the Wolves would be deep. If that's not enough, making that trade would also shave about $3.5 million off Minnesota's payroll. Since the Wolves are in luxury-tax land, the trade essentially would save them $7 million next season. If that still isn't enough to convince the Wolves to take the deal, Paxson should up the ante and throw in the Bulls' first-round draft pick this year. The last thing Chicago needs is more young players. Currently, the Bulls have a 4.4 percent chance of winning the lottery. Even if LeBron, Darko or Carmelo is at the end of the rainbow, Paxson shouldn't be afraid to give up the chance at such players in pursuit of a legitimate MVP candidate. If the Bulls don't win the lottery, the seventh pick still would give the Wolves a chance at a great player like Dwyane Wade, Chris Kaman, Michael Sweetney or even Brazilian big man Anderson Varejao. The Bulls still would be in good shape, as well, despite giving up five players. Chicago's lineup would include Garnett, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Crawford and either Eddie Robinson or Trenton Hassell at the two. That lineup would be one of the biggest, most athletic in NBA history. Chandler, Curry and Crawford all have shown signs late in the season that they're on the verge of stardom. The Bulls still would have their full mid-level exception and veteran's exception to bring in more veterans (Scottie Pippen is already stumping for a return to Chicago) to fill out the roster. And don't forget that several other promising young players, including Dalibor Bagaric and Roger Mason Jr. (who'd be a lottery pick this year had he stayed in school), are still on the roster. Who knows? A lineup like that could even drag Michael Jordan out of retirement one more time. While the trade makes sense in theory, there are two pressing questions. Could Reinsdorf afford to give KG that big extension he's been looking for? And would Wolves VP Kevin McHale have the courage to give up an all-star for three good players, one potential all-star and a lottery pick? Reinsdorf has assured Paxson he's willing to pay the luxury tax if the team is competitive, and the addition of Garnett should certainly put it on the road. Garnett has been discussing an extension with the Wolves for a while and has indicated he'd be willing to take a pay cut if it meant freeing up cash to sign other players. Even if KG's extension started at over $20 million a year, he'd be worth the money. McHale is in a difficult position. Garnett makes so much money the Wolves just don't have the cap space to pursue legitimate free agents. They also have been hit hard with the loss of draft picks as a result of the Joe Smith fiasco. Garnett already has made it clear he won't sign an extension unless the Wolves prove to him they're capable of bringing in more talent. That's going to be tough with a mid-first-round pick and a mid-level exception. Outside of Garnett and Szczerbiak, McHale has no real trade bait. If the Wolves make an early exit in the playoffs again, they face the possibility of losing Garnett for nothing when he becomes a free agent in 2004. The Bulls are one of the few teams with enough intriguing talent to make up for the loss of Garnett. If Paxson wants to make a splash -- scratch that, a tidal wave as GM of the Bulls -- he should pick up the phone today and call McHale. It's a deal that makes sense for both teams, and one that could eventually propel Chicago and Minnesota into a Finals showdown in the next few years.
Hell....i'd offer Steve Francis, Kelvin Cato and Eddie Griffin for Kevin Garnett: Thats a better deal then Jay Williams, Marcus Fizer, Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall T-Wolves Roster Steve Francis Troy Hudson Wally Szerbiak Eddie Griffin Nesterovic / Cato Then Our Lineup is : Yao Ming MoTaylor Kevin Garnett James Posey Cuttino Mobley ( A HUGE reach, but he played point in 98-99)
That's still pretty crappy on the Wolves part. KG is MVP material. If I were McHale I would command ... Jason Williams, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Robinson, and #1 overall pick (LaBron James). Not only would the Wolves be set for the future but they also get out of cap hell since Robinson would have the largest contract out of all of them.
I kinda like this trade, just add in the coaches, the way Stevie wants it. No way Minnesota would trade Garnett for our stiffs and wannabes, though.
KG is a Chicago fellow, and has always seemed to be linked with da Bulls. All that said, KG is the very best basketballer there is. Mini needs to find pieces to surround him with, and a way to resign him, too, of course. Of course, who else could have KG type $$$?
