HoopsVibe

Kevin Garnett is leaving Minnesota after the Boston Celtics agreed to acquire the all-star forward in a multi-player trade with the Timberwolves, a Celtics official told The Associated Press on Monday.

Among the players who could be headed to Minnesota are forward Al Jefferson, guard Sebastian Telfair, swingman Gerald Green and centre Theo Ratliff, said the official, who requested anonymity.

The official also said the Timberwolves would get at least one draft choice.

The teams still had some things to clarify with the players' contracts, but the official said that would not keep the Celtics from acquiring Garnett, although there could be a change in the players ticketed for the Timberwolves.

My Quick Take: Blockbuster trades are complicated. A mega-deal, like the one the Wolves and Celtics completed, influences the landscape of the entire league. The fates of players, fans, general managers, and teams all change with such a massive transaction taking place.

This trade is slightly different than the one reported by HoopsVibe this morning. Telfair and Green are heading to the Wolves instead of Rajon Rondo.

Instead of examining Telfair and Green's impact, we have analyzed who wins and loses with Garnett heading to Boston.

Winners:

Boston: The Celtics paid a hefty price for Garnett. But the club clearly wants to win now, so it makes sense to leverage developing players and chase an NBA Title with the trio of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen.

The Boston Garden is no longer standing, but in a funny way, it’s back. In fact, the ghosts of the Garden are most certainly smiling.

Minnesota: The Wolves win, too. They couldn’t rebuild with KG still in the fold. Now the club can focus on the future. Jefferson is a future star, while Green has upside. Telfair could find his way in the frozen-tundra of Minny and Ratliff’s contract provides financial flexibility. It's a start, especially when you combine these incoming players with what the Wolves already have.

Kevin Garnett: The Big Ticket is a basketball historian, so he gets what it means to play for the storied Boston Celtics. With this trade, Garnett has been freed from obscurity and dropped in a basketball mecca, where the spotlight will rest firmly on his shoulders. Great players should relish these circumstances.

The NBA: The league wins in a couple of ways. First, they get a break from all the negative press surrounding the Donaghy scandal. Second, the NBA thrives when fans are interested in historic teams. And fans will be interested in watching Garnett suit up for the Celtics.

Danny Ainge:  A few months ago, Boston’s GM was on the verge of being fired. Now, after acquiring Allen and Garnett, Ainge is the toast of Beantown. 

 Losers:

L.A. Lakers: Kobe Bryant wanted the Lakers to acquire Garnett. The Big Ticket in purple-and-gold would have been enough for Bryant to rescind his trade demand and stay in Hollywood.  Fair or not, L.A.'s front office will have to explain their most-recent failure to their star guard.

The Eastern Conference Contenders: Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, New Jersey, and Toronto should expect company at the top of the Eastern standings. Boston, after a year of playing the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant lottery sweepstakes, is once again a power.

Kevin McHale: He kept his job because the team’s owner didn’t want a new GM to deal with the public backlash from a Garnett trade. And McHale actually got a decent return for Garnett. However, one trade doesn’t make up for years of ineptitude, so McHale will make way for Fred Hoiberg to assume the GM duties.

Golden State, Dallas, & Phoenix: The Warriors had high hopes for acquiring KG, while the Mavericks and Suns had a passing interest, but never got serious. All three teams would have benefited with Garnett manning the low block.

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