The Boston Celtics traded for Kevin Garnett in 2007, and the 15-time NBA All-Star immediately helped turn the franchise around and win a championship. That title was won at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers, who were apparently left wondering what could have been after the NBA Finals.
In a fantastic oral history of Garnett’s career from Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, Phil Jackson revealed that the Lakers had a “handshake agreement” in place to trade for K.G. before he went to Boston.
“When I realized that (Garnett) was available and wanted to leave Minnesota, I put a big push on (to acquire him),” Jackson said. “Dr. (Jerry) Buss came to me and said, ‘I have a handshake agreement with (Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor), that he’s going to come to L.A. But (Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale) hasn’t concurred yet.’ So I said, ‘Well that’s a good excuse.’
“You always, as an owner, say, ‘I’ll do this, but …’ So I kept that hope out there, that he was gonna be a part of the Laker organization.”
The Lakers offered a package that included Lamar Odom and a 19-year-old Andrew Bynum, who many believed was going to be a star in the NBA. Taylor said he was “a little afraid of Odom” but that he believed Bynum was going to be special. Andy Miller, Garnett’s agent, described McHale as “infatuated” with former Celtics center Al Jefferson.
Some have speculated that McHale made it easier for his former team to acquire Garnett, and Jackson said he has joked about that in the past. As we know, the trade didn’t really work out for the Timberwolves. But Bynum isn’t even on an NBA roster at the moment, so it’s not like they made the wrong choice between Boston and LA. The trade would have fallen flat for Minnesota either way.
Still, you have to wonder if it would have been the Lakers hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2008 had they pulled off a deal for Garnett. K.G. is one of the most intense players in NBA history (see an example of that here), and he changed the culture in Boston. He probably would have done the same — particularly on defense — for the 2007-2008 Lakers.
