Minneapolis/St. Paul — The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has re-signed free agent forward Kevin Garnett. Per team policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"We are excited that KG has decided to continue his career with us," said Timberwolves president of basketball operations and head coach Flip Saunders. "When we acquired him last year we hoped this would be evolve into a longer term relationship. KG re-signing shows his commitment to our franchise and his belief in the direction we’re headed. I know KG will bring his usual strong work ethic and leadership, and be a positive influence for our young guys as we continue to grow together.”
“I’m excited to be part of this process for the future,” Garnett said. “I can't wait to build something special with this group of guys. Hopefully I can help, teach, and also continue to grow and learn from the young guys. It should be great… I’m looking forward to it all. The process to greatness starts now!”
Originally drafted by Minnesota with the 5th overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft, Garnett was acquired by the Timberwolves from the Brooklyn Nets on February 19, 2015 in exchange for Thaddeus Young. In total, Garnett has spent parts of 13 seasons in a Timberwolves uniform, including the first 12 seasons of his NBA career. In his first stint with Minnesota he led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1996-97 to 2003-04, including a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2003-04. He was named the NBA MVP in 2003-04 after leading the Timberwolves to a Western Conference-best 58-24 record and No. 1 seed while averaging career-highs in points (24.2 ppg), rebounds (13.9 rpg) and blocks (2.2 bpg). Garnett ranks as the franchise leader in nearly every major category, including games played (932), minutes (35,633), points (19,079), rebounds (10,568), assists (4,154), blocks (1,580), steals (1,287) and field goals (7,593).
Garnett was traded to Boston on July 31, 2007, where he went on to win his first and only NBA championship in 2007-08. Garnett averaged 20.4 points and 10.5 rebounds in the postseason during Boston's championship run, anchoring the Celtics defense. He spent six seasons with Boston before being acquired by the Nets on July 12, 2013.
A 15-time All-Star and the 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year, Garnett ranks first among active NBA players in both minutes (49,862) and rebounds (14,512) while ranking third in points (25,949). He needs just 138 more minutes to become just the fifth player in NBA history to accumulate 50,000 career minutes. Garnett has averaged 18.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in 35.0 minutes per game over 1,424 career contests, including averages of 18.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per game over 143 career playoff appearances.