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Report: Kevin Garnett Likely to Return for 21st Season

Marc Stein reports that Kevin Garnett is likely to return to the Wolves next season.

By Eric in Madison
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Not a ton of meat here, but Marc Stein of ESPN tweeted this:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>No definitive word yet, but rumbles out of &#39;Sota persist that Kevin Garnett is still leaning toward coming back for season No. 21 in &#39;15-16</p>&mdash; Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/587594737634246656">April 13, 2015</a></blockquote>

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This would be his 21st season in the NBA and his age 39 season. Garnett was re-acquired by the Wolves at the trade deadline this season from the Brooklyn Nets, making his return to the franchise where he got his start and played for a dozen incredible seasons.

Unfortunately, he has only appeared in five games since the trade, sidelined by knee problems that have plagued him on and off for the last several years. While many were thrilled to get Garnett back for the end of his career, his inability to take the court has been a disappointment.

Here's my take: This is not a good idea. You can argue that this season, and the injuries that devastated the Wolves, was truly bad luck. But if you return next season with Garnett, Nikola Pekovic, an aging and injury prone Kevin Martin, Ricky Rubio coming off a mostly lost season and an ankle injury that nobody can figure out, and Chase Budinger who missed almost two full seasons, well, you deserve what you get.

In addition to this, most of the rest of the roster will be guys who still have to show they belong in an NBA rotation (Adreian Payne, Anthony Bennett, Nemanja Bjelica if he comes over, whoever the draft pick is, Zach LaVine).

I understand the desire to bring KG back--he links fans to better times, and he's a local hero. Further, there is the expectation that he will be involved with the team in his post playing days, and so if he wants to come back for one more year, it theoretically makes sense to maintain that relationship.

But it seems to me that the Wolves are setting themselves up for another injury plagued and short-roster season if they go that route.

20 minutes a night of a healthy KG is not a bad thing. Getting that 20 healthy 20 minutes a night might be a bridge too far.