Before Kevin Garnett became an NBA champion with the Celtics in 2008, the Hall of Famer spent his first dozen seasons with the Timberwolves, solidifying himself as the one of the league’s most elite big men.
However, in his first stint in Minnesota, the 15-time All-Star only got within reach of an NBA Finals appearance once during the 2003–04 campaign when the Lakers defeated his Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. Before nearly reaching the NBA’s pinnacle, Minnesota suffered seven disappointing first-round postseason departures before Garnett was traded to Boston ahead of the ’07 season.
As this year’s NBA free agency begins Friday, no player has faced more speculation regarding his future than Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. The seven-time All-Star, who has spent his entire career in Portland, has publicly stated that he wants to remain with the franchise, despite the Heat’s reported interest in the point guard.
However, in a recent episode of KG Certified, Garnett stated why it is time for Lillard to win and build with another NBA contender outside of Portland.
“[Damian Lillard’s] value is a lot greater to me than where he’s at now... It’s that prideful, ‘I’ve done this work, I made this house, I built it,” Garnett said on the show. “‘It’s time to leave this house and go build another one.’ … I’ve been in that situation where, you in it, and its hard like seeing yourself out of something other than what you know.
“I want Dame to where he gets to be 45 or 43 or whatever, he’s done with the league and he’s sitting back with friends, he can say ‘hey man, I played with an [Joel] Embiid, I played with another great who was cool, that was greater than me, that pushed me, that made me better.”
"[Damian Lillard's] value is a lot greater to me than where he's at now... It's that prideful, 'I've done this work, I made this house, I built it.' It's time to leave this house and go build another one."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 29, 2023
—Kevin Garnett
(via @shobasketball)pic.twitter.com/eTWUMbaeYm
Since Portland drafted Lillard at No. 6 in the 2012 NBA draft, the Trail Blazers best finish in his tenure came in ’19 when the franchise made a Western Conference finals appearance. However, Golden State swept Portland before going on to win an NBA title.
Over the past two seasons, Portland has registered a combined 60–104 record and missed the playoffs in each year.
However, Lillard, who turns 33 on July 15, remains in Portland for now. Even more, Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said Monday that the franchise remains “committed to building a winner around Dame.”
Lillard, a third-team All-NBA selection last season, averaged a career-high 32.2 points per game while shooting 37.1% from three-point range.
