Big changes are coming to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and it might be the perfect time for Kevin Garnett to finally mend fences with the franchise.
Garnett, one of the greatest defenders in NBA history, spent the bulk of his legendary career in Minnesota before heading to Boston, where he won his only NBA title. Even with his Boston Celtics success, Garnett has always shared a deep connection with the Timberwolves and their fanbase.
That said, his relationship with the team’s upper management — especially longtime owner Glen Taylor — was rocky at best.
Kevin Garnett Shares His Full Support for New Timberwolves Owners
Until recently, the majority owner of the Timberwolves was Taylor, who was in charge for more than 30 years and witnessed both Garnett and Anthony Edwards developing into NBA superstars.
Taylor’s relationship with Garnett and a few of the other members of the organization was not perfect, to say the least. Therefore, the news that Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez were attempting to buy the Timberwolves from Taylor was taken positively by fans. After all, a change in ownership also means that this is the perfect time to address unresolved issues from the past.
Behind the scenes, Taylor’s unwillingness to honor past promises soured things with Garnett. That included skipping out on a jersey retirement and denying Garnett a front-office or coaching role, something reportedly promised to him by the late Flip Saunders, the team’s former president
NBA insider Shams Charania explained on “The Pat McAfee Show” how Lore and Rodriguez completed this $1.5 billion purchase to take over. Charania also mentioned that Garnett was very pleased with the change in ownership and that the new ownership is willing to rekindle a relationship and line of communication with him.
Though it’s unclear whether Garnett will return in an official role, the simple fact that the door is open again matters. The main source of conflict, Taylor, is stepping away, removing the biggest obstacle between Garnett and the team.
“I don’t know. I’ve talked to Marc and Alex before, and yeah, I’m sure we’ll have another positive conversation. … That’s all I want, to be on the same page, though, you know what I’m saying?” Garnett said on his podcast, “Ticket & The Truth.”
“I want to be on the same page. A lot of the concerns that I have or at least some of the things that I want to actually grow and develop in Minnesota have nothing to do with the court.”
Garnett is justified in wanting to expand his horizons and become more than just a retired basketball star. More importantly, a change in ownership is the perfect opportunity for the team to make strides forward in a fresh and different direction with a new leader.
In any case, the only thing that is clear at this point is that the new owners will look to heal broken relationships. It is unclear how Garnett’s presence can help the team get better.
However, one thing is certain if Garnet rejoins the Timberwolves: interactions between Garnett and Edwards are soon expected to go viral. After all, both of them have the same hunger to win and dominate.
Their interactions might provide Edwards with more insight into dealing with his own issues on and off the court. The Timberwolves organization appears to be taking strides toward progress and is even attempting to fix the mistakes of the past.
