It hasn’t been made official yet, but it’s been reported that Kevin Garnett will in fact return to play out the final year of his contract with the Nets next season, despite his longtime teammate Paul Pierce leaving for Washington.
But with retirement coming soon after Garnett completes his 20th NBA season, what’s next?
A position in Brooklyn’s front office, or with the team in some capacity, may be n the horizon.
From Devin Kharpertian of The Brooklyn Game:Could Kevin Garnett be with the Brooklyn Nets beyond his playing career? One person tied in to the organization thinks so. In an interview released Saturday with CLNS Radio, Nets play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle sees Garnett having a role in the Nets organization after his retirement.
“This could be just the start of a long-term relationship,” Eagle said. “Kevin’s got a lot of interests outside of just playing basketball, as we know, and I think he saw Brooklyn as an opportunity to try to capitalize on a number of those interests. When the smoke clears, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin Garnett has some role moving forward beyond his basketball-playing years, whether it’s within the Nets organization, whether it’s with ownership, whether it’s within the marketing aspect of this team, whether it’s just within Brooklyn. That could be something to keep an eye on down the road. Kevin sees a bigger picture here than just playing one more year with the Nets.”
That potential opportunity, along with the $12 million remaining on his current deal are excellent reasons not to bail on the team for next season.
It’ll be interesting to see if this happens, and if so, in what capacity. Garnett has been a maniac on the court throughout his career -- as intense a competitor as there is, although one that hasn’t always seemed completely mentally stable. That type of fire doesn’t exactly translate to a lot of other areas of business, but Garnett’s experience and Hall of Fame credentials may make him an interesting fit in a variety of post-basketball roles nonetheless.