For the better part of his career, Kevin Garnett was one of the undisputed best two-way players in the NBA.
But just like what happens with multiple stars, such as Damian Lillard, his heroics and great efforts weren’t enough to get over the hump and find playoff success.
So, after years of failure and a team that was unwilling and unable to give him an elite supporting cast, Garnett finally left home.
Today marks the 16th anniversary of the trade that sent The Big Ticket to the Boston Celtics, and fans took to Twitter to react to the news.
One of the greatest trades of all-time
— Tidal League (@TidalLeague) July 31, 2023
I didn’t need this pain today man
— PessimisticWolvesFan (@BadTradeM8) July 31, 2023
The trade that changed the NBA as we know it forever
— Magic Stick (@MagicStick904) July 31, 2023
Turned out to be 1 championship for Celtics and they haven’t won since
— Don't Get Fooled (@dgfmedia) July 31, 2023
The Celtics got Garnett in return for Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, and two future first-round picks, which turned out to be Jonny Flynn and Wayne Ellington.
Garnett went on to help the Celtics make it to the NBA Finals twice, winning one ring in the process.
He became an icon of the franchise and had one of the most impressive six-year tenures of his career, even though he was no longer the undisputed No. 1 scoring option.
Garnett embraced a different role as the dominant defender he always was, with Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen by his side to round up one of the best starting lineups in modern NBA history.
Notably, he was reportedly quite close to being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers instead.
Whatever the case, Garnett’s story proves that not even the greatest players can win on their own.
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