The team will waive the franchise icon, which will allow him to collect his entire $8 million salary for next season. He narrated the short, black-and-white video that shows him walking alone through Target Center with sunglasses on. The Timberwolves would make their first playoff appearance that year, starting what would become a frustrating string of postseason exits. He is leaving as one of the best defensive players in the history of the league and also one of the most influential competitors of the game.
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He split his 21 seasons across three teams, although two are far more prominent than the other.
Rivers, who coached Garnett to an National Basketball Association championship with the Celtics, said Garnett will remain a part of the game in some capacity – hopefully with the Clippers.
He was later teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to help the Boston Celtics regain its Eastern Conference power.
He jumped straight from high school to the pros in 1995 and started 43 games as a 19-year-old for the Timberwolves during his rookie year, averaging 10 points and six rebounds in just under 30 minutes per game. His value lied more in terms of being a mentor for young stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins than for his production. Then he left in 2013 and went to the Brooklyn Net.
From there Garnett sustained a career peak that rivals those of the greatest big men in league history.
Per Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune, Garnett and the Timberwolves reached an agreement Friday on a contract buyout.
So, while there are certainly centers who can score the ball better than Jordan, his ability to be an elite defender while contributing significantly to the Clippers’ cause either with his own scoring or the freeing up of his teammates, are just some of the reasons why Jordan is the top center in the game right now.
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Garnett spoke often of his desire to one day get into ownership with the Wolves, but it remains unclear if that is still possible after Saunders’ passing. But knee issues limited him to just 85 games over the last two seasons, and after Saunders died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma before last season, he lost the man he trusted most in the organization.
