Kevin Garnett Trade Rumor: Chris Paul, Blake Griffin Say They’d Welcome Him To Clippers
Kevin Garnett trade rumors are heating up, and two star players for the Los Angeles Clippers have said they’d welcome the Celtics forward with open arms if he were to be traded.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin just happened to be seated next to Garnett at a media session before the NBA All-Star Game. The arrangement seemed curious, considering that rumors are circulating that Garnett will be traded to the Clippers.
Though ESPN notes that Garnett isn’t likely to be traded to the Clippers — he’s intensely loyal to Boston — Paul and Griffin still say they would welcome him.
“I think people are just talking,” Paul said. “At the end of the day, who wouldn’t want to have Kevin Garnett on their team? I talk about that guy all day, every day, his intensity to the game and how he plays the game. He’s a special player. That’s a guy right there that I looked up to for a long time. Me and Chauncey (Billups) are really close and he and Chauncey are really close and everything I know about him is that he’s a very loyal guy.”
It’s not the first time that rumors have circulated about a new destination for Kevin Garnett. He was also rumored to be going to the Denver Nuggets, but Garnett quashed that talk.
Amid the Kevin Garnett trade rumors, the forward has also hinted that he may be retiring after this season. In speaking to reporters before the All-Star Game, he mentioned that it would be his last time playing in the game.
When a reporter pointed out that he still had two years on his contract, Garnett seemed to back off the retirement talk a bit, CBS Sports noted.
“Y’all don’t know what I know though,” Garnett told reporters. “Let’s put it like this: I’m more than grateful for going. I’m not going to act like I got more All-Star Games in me or whatever. So I’m actually going to enjoy this one with my friends and family. That’s what I meant.”
While Kevin Garnett could be retiring, the trade rumors are unlikely to pan out. Garnett has a no trade clause that would have to be waived, a long shot given statements he’s made that he “bleeds [Celtic] green.”
