AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Now that the dust appears to have settled on the Kevin Garnett trade that never happened, it's time to take a step back and assess the situation.
In the Wild, Wild West that is the NBA summer -- an exhausting period of wheeling, dealing and irresponsible internet reports that cloud the line between speculation and reality -- we do know three things to a virtual certainty:
1. The Timberwolves gave more consideration to the idea of trading the face of their franchise than ever before.
2. Despite a different report nearly every hour leading up to the draft stating that the Wolves were "closing in on a deal to send Garnett" to the Suns/Lakers/Celtics/Warriors/Ripknees/Tar Heels (remember, he does have four years of college eligibility remaining), he is a member of the Timberwolves.
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3. That chatter sets up what will be an interesting situation between the team and Garnett heading into next season.
The first two have been talked about, dissected and regurgitated ad nauseam in the last few weeks, so we'll just concentrate on No. 3 for freshness' sake.
Assuming the Wolves do not make a deal for Garnett in the next few months -- and all signs point to that being the case -- the two sides will no doubt have some fences to mend when coaches and players reconvene.
It's no secret that seeing his name on the internet in various trade rumors agitated Garnett. In this day and age of "show me the money" and four-year contracts, the concept of loyalty (both from an organization and a player) has become a quaint idea from a bygone era -- like seeing the "Friends" set in the Smithsonian.
To this point, Garnett has been a refreshing exception. For 12 years, he has been the face of the franchise, saddled with that responsibility at the tender age of 19 when he became the first high school player to jump straight to the pros in two decades.
Through all the losing -- and the flashes of legitimate success -- Garnett has never wavered in his support of the franchise. While All-Stars around him (Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, etc., etc., etc.) have requested trades and wondered about the greener grass just down the road, Garnett has never expressed a desire to be anywhere else.
And why would he? He has signed two contracts here worth nearly a quarter of a billion dollars that have lifted him from the hard-knock life he knew growing up in Mauldin, S.C. He has been embraced by the Twin Cities, his teammates and, most importantly, team owner Glen Taylor to the point that it is clear just who runs things around Target Center.
To this point, it's been a happy marriage for the most part. Sure, Garnett has been frustrated by Kevin McHale's inability to surround him with adequate talent for more than one or two seasons.
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Sure, the Wolves have been hamstrung by the huge salary Garnett commands, which eats up a bunch of their cap room and makes it difficult for them to attract other quality players without swallowing hard and paying a big luxury tax bill.
But to this point, those have been the kinds of little squabbles that come along in every marriage, the proverbial bumps in the road that always smooth out in the long run.
Whereas the previous confrontations were mere speed bumps, this latest ordeal is looking more and more like a giant construction zone that requires a significant change in course to navigate.
