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Fantasy Basketball: Will Kevin Garnett Benefit In His Return To Minnesota?

By Mike Marteny

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In one of the more puzzling deadline deals of the day, Kevin Garnett is heading back to where it all began: the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It should go without saying that this is a great deal for the Nets. Not only do they dump Garnett’s salary, they bring in an athletic, true power forward. Garnett is mostly a center now. At 38, he lacks the explosiveness that he once had. That is not to say that he is a bad player. He is just nowhere near the player he used to be.

The obvoius loser in all of this is Brook Lopez. He had been picking up big minutes at PF while Mason Plumlee handled the center in Brooklyn. With Young in the fold, the Nets finally have a true PF, and that should help them out immensely. If you picked up Lopez in a standard league because of his recent hot streak, you probably don’t need to hang on to him any longer. It may be prudent to see how the minutes work out this week, but on paper, this does not look good for Lopez. They are committed to Plumlee at center. I would expect to see Lopez’s minutes shrink to 20-25 a game. That makes him only useful in 12 team leagues or larger.

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Garnett’s usage should remain primarily the same as it was in Brooklyn. If he starts, he will be the starter in name only. He likely won’t play more than 25 minutes a game most nights. A move back to the Twin Cities might revitalize Garnett, but it still makes him a fringe option in standard leagues. If you have someone underperforming on the end of your bench, you could give Garnett a whirl. He is still worth rostering in deep leagues.

The Timberwolves mostly brought in Garnett to mentor Nikola Pekovic, Adrien Payne, and Gorgui Dieng. He won’t be counted on for much else. That said, those three guys could benefit from having Garnett and his wealth of basketball knowledge. It might be worth trying to acquire Pekovic or Dieng in a trade. Both will see around 30 minutes per game, so don’t overpay.

Jan 17, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Thaddeus Young (33) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The big winner here is Thaddeus Young. Young was performing very well in Minnesota. Even with the team healthy, he had carved out a good role and was a solid contributor to the team. Now he goes to a Nets team that desperately needed a true four. His numbers should improve over the 14.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks that he is averaging on the year. He is only 26, and gives a youthful injection where Garnett was mostly taking up space in logging his minutes. Young needs to be added in all formats in the unlikely event that he is still available. He is a great trade target as well. Just try to get him before his value makes a big jump.

I don’t really understand this move from the Timberwolves standpoint. They didn’t even get a draft pick to take on Garnett’s contract, and get older in the process. To me it looks like a desperate attempt to put fans in the seats. Garnett has never really been known as a mentor, so I find it hard to believe they can suddenly get him to do it. Maybe this move makes a little sense if they thought Young was going to bolt at the end of the year. But it seemed to me as if Young was starting to like the city, team, and fans. That makes this move all the more perplexing.

It’s a good story. Garnett coming back to the place where he had so much success. But his divorce from the team was a messy one. It seems like both sides have let it go, but this is still a puzzling move.

Stay tuned for Fantasy CPR for the fantasy impact of all of the other deadline moves!

Next: Impact Of The Michael Carter-Williams Trade

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