Garnett on the market?

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Too bad the Celtics blew the 2001 draft so completely. A package of young
studs around Antoine might be just what the T-Wolves need. Oh well. Of
course, Ainge could be really bold and build a deal around Pierce. That
would take some guts. Never happen. Anyway, here's the story, from Sam
Smith:

Mark

P.S. I really don't want to hear Kevin Garnett whine about not winning or
not adding talent or whatever. The guy has made more money than he could
ever spend in 100 lifetimes. If he really cared only about winning, what's
stopping him from taking a $1 million salary during this next negotiation
with the understanding that the team would spend the rest to add talent
around him?



This is the week the Bulls may be able to put together a deal for Kevin
Garnett.

Word around the NBA is the Timberwolves are willing to trade Garnett, most
likely to a large-market team that could meet his price as a free agent. The
Timberwolves don't want to let on they would consider a deal for their best
player ever, but for the first time owner Glen Taylor recently opened the
door to a deal, saying: "The only way we would probably trade him is if
Kevin said that he really thought that was the best thing for him, or
something like that. It would have to be built on something I couldn't even
think of right now. We don't want to, and I don't think he would want to,
but that would be the scenario, I suppose. I don't think I would necessarily
accept that just because he said that. But that's a possibility."

Those comments to Minneapolis reporters confirmed what general managers had
been hearing: Garnett could be had. And the Bulls, more than any NBA team,
have the requisites to make a deal. Plus, the Bulls' door is finally open
with the hiring of John Paxson as GM. Garnett, who attended his senior year
of high school at Chicago's Farragut, previously said he wouldn't come to
the Bulls because he blamed Jerry Krause for the team's decline after 1998.

Paying Garnett may be the key. Garnett has one season left on his six-year,
$126 million contract. He is eligible for an extension that begins at $29.4
million a year. The Timberwolves cannot afford to pay that because they also
want to re-sign free-agent center Rasho Nesterovic and are well over the
salary cap and into luxury-tax territory. They want Garnett to take a
massive pay cut. He doesn't see why when the Timberwolves cannot get out of
the first round of the playoffs and cannot build around him.

The Bulls, with their huge arena and record number of suites, are one of the
few teams that could afford to go well into luxury-tax territory to pay
Garnett. And they have the talent to put together a deal that would look
attractive to the Timberwolves.

The dealmaking starts Thursday with the NBA draft lottery. If the Bulls,
with the seventh-worst record, manage to jump up for one of the top two
picks, they probably would take LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony and forget
any deals.

But if the Bulls get the expected pick toward the bottom of the top 10, they
could send that selection to Minnesota to make up an intriguing package of
players. The deal probably would be the Bulls' No. 1 pick, Tyson Chandler,
Jay Williams, Eddie Robinson and Jalen Rose.

With the draft picks and young talent, the Timberwolves could develop a
talented team and maintain their balance sheet.

The Bulls' rotation would include Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford, who are the
closest friends on the team, Garnett, Donyell Marshall, Marcus Fizer and a
perimeter player with the salary-cap exception such as Corey Maggette,
Antonio Daniels, Jason Terry or James Posey. That's a team that could get to
the NBA Finals. Like the Nets and Pistons, the Bulls should be saying, "Why
not us? Why not now?"