The Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett, according to reports from ESPNNewYork.com’s Ohm Youngmisuk is returning to the Brooklyn Nets for at least one more year.
Barring something unforeseen or a change of heart, Garnett has indicated he will begin preparing shortly for his 20th season.
General manager Billy King reiterated on Wednesday that the Nets have been operating as if Garnett is under contract and will play next season until told otherwise. King said he has been in touch with Garnett and added that he is optimistic about having the big man back and that the 38-year-old will begin training soon.
Crazy to think the former MVP is going into his 20th season already. In the 2013-14 season Garnett posted career lows in every major statistical category. Posting 6.5 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, and 0.7 blocks per game to go along with only playing 54 games, second fewest total of his career and averaging 20.5 minutes per game. Those numbers are a far stretch from his MVP season 10 years ago when he put up 24 PPG/14 RPG/5 APG/2 BPG.
Garnett is on the decline for sure and has been for about 3-4 seasons now since his Celtics days when they went to the NBA Championship series versus Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers twice, winning in 2008 and losing in 2010. Garnett though, isn’t the only player the Nets have to worry about.
Paul Pierce, Alan Anderson, Shaun Livingston and Andray Blatche will all be hitting the free agency market this summer. Blatche, Livingston and Anderson all saw great minutes this year for the Nets and revitalized their careers while putting up great numbers for coach Jason Kidd. Don’t forget about Paul Pierce as well, he is still “The Truth” and can contribute very well to the team. The Nets though have no first round picks this season, all were traded away last year to the Celtics for Garnett, Pierce and Jason Terry, who was traded anyway mid-season to the Kings for Marcus Thornton.
On the plus side, the Nets still have former All-Stars Deron Williams, Joe Johnson returning to the team, fellow All-Star Brook Lopez returning from a foot injury and 6-man, wing player Andrei Kirilenko signing on for one more year as well. Still looks like a very formidable team in the East, barring any setbacks or injuries.
The Nets are a team, much like the Celtics, Heat and Clippers, that always have a trick up their sleeve. Let’s see what GM Billy King can pull out of his this summer.
