The Boston Celtics nearly never became championship contenders in 2007-2008! Well, there’s no concrete way to prove this but had Kevin Garnett not landed with the Boston Celtics, forming the Big 3 with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the chances of Celtics bating Kobe Bryant-led Lakers in 2008 would’ve been thinner than a strand of hair. Why discuss a hypothetical situation, you ask? Well, because Garnett actually almost landed with a different team in the 2007 offseason. While there have been multiple reports on it, it’s one of those rare instances when Garnett himself opened up about it.

The alternate destination in discussion for KG is the Golden State Warriors. During a recent episode of All the Smoke, Matt Barnes initiated the discussion on the time when reports of Kevin Garnett playing for the Warriors emerged.

“I talked to Don Nelson… I said, ‘Listen. I’m already doing something else. I’m already locked in. But I see what y’all doing…” Garnett said. He explained that because of the high pace, small ball,  and 4-out 1-in, Warriors would’ve been perfect for a post-player like himself. “So if I’m being honest, if Ray doesn’t go to Boston, I have to consider it all, including Phoenix and all that,” he said on All the Smoke. 

With Pierce already in the Celtics and Allen heading to the team, Kevin Garnett’s temptation to land in Boston was understandable. However, this being KG’s perspective of the story, there’s another side to it that reveals why the ’08 champ did not join the Warriors.

Had the Warriors pulled off the move, they could have been a force in the West, stacking up against the league’s best. But as fate would have it, things didn’t go as planned. The interest was there. The groundwork was laid. Yet, one man’s hesitation changed everything.

According to Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report, former Warriors GM Chris Mullin and even the players were on board with bringing KG to Golden State. The final piece of the puzzle? Then-owner Chris Cohan. And that’s where things fell apart.

“A 2007 draft-night three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Charlotte (then the Bobcats) would’ve sent Garnett to the Warriors, Richardson to the Bobcats, and picks and talent to the Timberwolves. It fell apart, Mullin says when then-Warriors owner Chris Cohan dragged his feet and ultimately said no,” Bucher had reported. And thus the NBA world was deprived of what could’ve been with Garnett in the Warriors.

What would’ve Warriors looked like back in 2008 with Kevin Garnett on the roster?

The 2008 GSW squad was already electric. But adding KG to a lineup featuring Baron Davis at point, Monta Ellis at shooting guard, Stephen Jackson at small forward, and Andris Biedrins at center? That’s a team that could have shaken up the league even more.

Davis was coming off an All-Star-worthy season, even if he didn’t get the official nod. Meanwhile, Ellis was rapidly developing, jumping from 16.5 points per game in his second year to 20.2 with 5.0 rebounds in his third. Furthermore, Jackson, a proven leader, had put up 16.8 points and 4.6 assists the season before.

Now, drop Kevin Garnett into that lineup. He had just averaged 22.4 points and 12.8 rebounds, still a dominant force and a top-10 player. For the first time in his career, he would have had real talent around him. And with the Warriors riding the high of their historic playoff upset, their fearless mentality could have made them a nightmare for the rest of the league.

Now all that’s left is what could’ve been. Not that KG has any regrets since he himself stated on All the Smoke, that choosing Celtics was his own decision.