Kevin Garnett traded to Minnesota Timberwolves

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Kevin Garnett in 2002. He returns to Minnesota today. (AP)
Kevin Garnett in 2002. He returns to Minnesota today. (AP)

The Brooklyn Nets have traded Kevin Garnett to the Minnesota Timberwolves for 26-year-old forward Thaddeus Young after Garnett agreed to waive his no-trade clause, according to a report from TNT’s David Aldridge. A source confirmed the trade to The Brooklyn Game.

Garnett’s agent, Andy Miller, tweeted out this photo, confirming the deal:

The Nets will make no more moves, according to a source. They had been in pursuit of guard Reggie Jackson, who was eventually traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Detroit Pistons.

For Garnett, it’s a career homecoming. Garnett played the first 12 years of his career with the Timberwolves, winning an MVP Award in 2004, and was coached by the team’s current coach, Flip Saunders. The 38-year-old Garnett is in his 20th season in the NBA, and has expressed a desire to buy the Timberwolves in retirement. The Timberwolves have a dreadful 11-43 record, and Garnett will serve as little more than a developmental guiding hand to the team’s plethora of young prospects.

Young was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2007, and was Nets general manager Billy King’s last lottery selection before he was fired by the 76ers organization that December. The Nets have coveted Young for some time, and have pursued him at various points throughout King’s tenure with the team.

The trade saves the Nets around $7 million in luxury tax payments, plus the difference in pro-rated salary between Garnett and Young (around $1 million).