LOS ANGELES — The Big Ticket is headed back to where the show began.
Kevin Garnett agreed to waive his no-trade clause shortly before Thursday afternoon’s trade deadline, paving the way for him to return to the Timberwolves — the team that drafted him out of high school 20 years ago — and allowing the future Hall of Famer to bring his historic career full circle.
In exchange, the Nets will receive forward Thaddeus Young — a player drafted by Nets general manager Billy King when he was with the 76ers in 2007 — in a move that will allow them to get younger, cheaper and better all at once.
Garnett returns to Minnesota, where he spent the first 12 years of his career, to play for head coach Flip Saunders — the same man who drafted him fifth overall as the team’s general manager — and assistant coach Sam Mitchell, Garnett’s favorite teammate who served as a mentor for him early in his career.
Garnett’s agent, Andy Miller, tweeted:
Garnett also expressed an interest in eventually buying the Timberwolves whenever owner Glen Taylor chooses to sell the franchise.
“It’s just part of the game,” said Nets forward Mason Plumlee, who has credited Garnett for helping him develop during his two seasons in the NBA. “I’m happy for him. I think it’s neat he gets to go back.
“I know he still has his home in Minnesota, so he gets to go back where he started out, and he’s their franchise’s best player ever, so I think it’s pretty neat he gets to go home and finish that way.”
But because Garnett held a no-trade clause — one of just six in existence in the NBA — the decision whether the trade went through rested with him. In the end, the allure of returning to where it all began — not to mention reportedly getting a two-year extension — proved to be too much to pass up.
Though the Nets are better in the short run because of the addition of Young, they also had grown to appreciate the way Garnett went about his business even as his role has shrunk this season. It’s why Saunders wanted to bring Garnett back to Minnesota to mentor his young roster led by Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins.
“Every morning at 8 in the morning, KG is at that practice facility,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “Every practice he’s giving you all he has. Every moment he’s on the court he’s giving all he has. In the locker room he’s giving all he has.
“That’s all you can ask for. Some nights it’s really good, some nights it’s not so good, but that is what you ask.”