Power forward Kevin Garnett waived his no-trade clause Thursday and was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Minnesota Timberwolves for forward Thaddeus Young.
ESPN.com first reported the potential deal late Wednesday night. TheTimberwolves drafted Garnett out of high school in 1995.
"We are excited to have Kevin Garnett back in Minnesota and playing for the Timberwolves," coach Flip Saunders said. "When people think of the Timberwolves, they think of KG. He had some great years for us and our organization and fans really respect what he's done here in Minnesota and throughout his NBA career.
"KG will bring his usual strong work ethic and leadership and be a positive influence for our young team."
Garnett, one of six players with full no-trade clauses. told reporters covering the Nets that he did not want to leave Brooklyn because he did not want to uproot his family in the middle of the season.
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On Thursday afternoon, agent Andy Miller confirmed on Twitter that Garnett had waived his no-trade clause. Reports also surfaced that the Timberwolves want to re-sign Garnett to a two-year deal after this season.
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"It means a lot to me to have Kevin Garnett back on our team," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said. "I have great respect for Kevin as a person and a player. He was the first player we drafted after I bought the team and we got to see him develop into one of the best players in the world.
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"It means a lot to me to have Kevin Garnett back on our team," Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said. "I have great respect for Kevin as a person and a player. He was the first player we drafted after I bought the team and we got to see him develop into one of the best players in the world. Like our fans, I'm excited to be able to watch Kevin in a Timberwolves uniform once again."
Garnett was initially obtained by the Nets in July 2013 from the Boston Celtics along with forward Paul Pierce and guard Jason Terry in a deal that cost Brooklyn three first-round picks and the right to swap first-round selections in 2017.
Young, 26, was a first-round pick of current Nets general manager Billy King in Philadelphia in 2007 and was acquired by Minnesota last summer in the blockbuster three-team deal that sent rookie forward Andrew Wiggins to Minnesota and sent forward Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Garnett may retire after this year, but he will be reunited with Saunders, who coached him until halfway through the 2004-05 season. In his first stint with the Timberwolves, Garnett lost in the first round of the playoffs seven straight seasons before advancing to the Westen Conference finals in 2004.
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This time, he will likely serve as a mentor to Wiggins, the MVP of the Rising Stars game, and some of Minnesota's other young players, including guard Zach LaVine, who won the dunk contest at All-Star weekend.
The Nets had been playing the 38-year-old Garnett about 20 minutes per game and resting him on back-to-back games. By obtaining Young, they will get a frontcourt player who is 12 years younger, although he could use his early termination option and become a free agent after this season.
Young started all 48 games that he appeared in for Minnesota and averaged 14.3 points and 5.1 rebounds. He shot 45.1 percent from the field and averaged 33.4 minutes.
