Kevin Garnett has had an entire summer to decide whether or not he plans to retire, but apparently he still needs a little more time.
Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said on Thursday that the team is still awaiting word on Garnett’s plans for the 2016-17 season.
“Kevin hasn’t told me or informed me yet if he’s coming back to play or if he isn’t coming back,” Taylor told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com. “I can only assume I’ll be hearing from him in the next three weeks.”
The 40-year-old Garnett would be entering his 22nd NBA season and is currently the second-oldest active player in the league behind veteran guard Andre Miller. Having entered the league straight out of high school in 1995, Garnett is also easily the longest-tenured current NBA player.
The 15-time All-Star witnessed contemporaries Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan hang up their sneakers in the last few months. He also averaged just 3.2 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in 38 appearances for Minnesota in 2015-16, so there’s definitely a solid argument for Garnett to call it quits.
But Garnett has settled into a nice mentorship role for the team that drafted him, particularly for fellow big man Karl-Anthony Towns. For a guy who has always been famous for it, Garnett’s passion for the game seems like it could easily sway him to suit up for one more year.
We last heard in July that Garnett was still wrestling with the decision, and he doesn’t appear to have made much progress on that front. But the former MVP has earned the right to take as long as he needs and can’t be faulted for what he chooses to do, one way or the other.
H/T Rotoworld
