When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded young forward Thaddeus Young for veteran Kevin Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets, it was earlier reported that the team wanted a veteran mentor to teach and lead its young team that is full of very promising talents.
With a 12-42 win-loss record as of February 23, the Timberwolves have the worst record in the Western Conference and second worst in the entire NBA.
Many NBA pundits actually looked to the trade that the team pulled off during the trading deadline to bring back Kevin Garnett to Minnesota as a losing move considering that the future Hall of Famer is already 38 years old and will soon be retiring from the sport.
But apparently, Timberwolves president and head coach Flip Saunders has other things in mind in bringing KG back to his original NBA team.
Apart from being the veteran mentor and help him guide the young Timberwolves team to maximize its explosive potentials, Saunders is reportedly looking to convince Garnett to be part of a group of investors who shall eventually buy the team from current owner Glen Taylor, cites Yahoo! Sports.
Positioning KG as an investor
Kevin Garnett is at the tail-end of his contract this NBA season when the Timberwolves acquired him from the Nets. But he won’t be retiring as he would be offered a two-year extension to play for the team and position himself as part of the investor group that will bid to acquire the team from Taylor.
Accordingly, Garnett and Saunders will subsequently form a group to buy the team with their combined earnings of approximately $365 million as initial capital. The Timberwolves was recently valued by Forbes at $625 million.
But it was not clear if Glen Taylor would be willing to sell the franchise. The owner will be turning 74 in April so a buyout is a promising option for a man ready to enjoy his retirement.
When Glen Taylor bought the franchise some 27 years ago, he shelled out $88 million for it and it is likely that he will be willing to put it on the block for a price of about $700 million in the next two years, give or take.
That would mean that Saunders and Garnett would still need to convince a couple more well-heeled partners to provide that $335 million balance so that they can acquire the franchise from Taylor should he finally decide to sell.
Get the team winning first
But before Saunders and Garnett start thinking of buying the franchise, they have to work together in turning things around for the team beginning with the reaminder of the current NBA season.
Minnesota has put together a talented group of young guys but Saunders as head coach could really use some help in getting his message across. This is where Garnett and his no-nonsense leadership will come into play.
The Wolves have a talented bunch in Zach LaVine, the 2015 NBA Slam Dunk champion, Andrew Wiggins, obviously primed to being crowned Rookie of the Year, Glenn Robinson, Anthony Benett, and Shabazz Muhammad, the last two currently out on injuries.
KG is expected to give the clueless puppies of Minnesota some pointers on how to make the most of their talents in turning things around for their franchise by winning games through sheer hard work and determination both on and off the court.