On this day 19 years ago, the Boston Celtics changed their course forever when they acquired Kevin Garnett. Everyone knew that this was a game-changer from the start. Garnett was one of the NBA's best players of his time and ever. What we came to know was that his impact went beyond his talent, but also the culture he instituted.
This commercial came out shortly after the Big 3 era came into full swing, and 19 years later, it's aged like wine.
However, everyone also knew going in that the Celtics had opened a window that wouldn't last too long when they made the deal. Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen were all in their 30s, meaning there was only so long before they'd fall out of their primes.
It was supposed to be three years, but it turned out to be five. Did the Big 3 fight off Father Time? Not at all, but they still stayed quality players. They stayed that good because of one detail everyone overlooks from the KG trade: Rajon Rondo not being in the deal.
Rondo's evolution into a star compensated for the Big 3's decline. Anyone who watched back then remembers Rondo going toe-to-toe with prime LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Kobe Bryant when he was at the top of his game.
In fact, if Boston had won Banner 18 back in 2010, it's likely Rondo would have had his number retired. For that reason, it remains mystifying that Rondo wasn't in the deal in the first place.
Rondo looked quite promising his rookie year
Among all fo the moves Danny Ainge made, his work in 2006 goes underrated. At the time, many questioned why he traded the No. 7 pick just for cap flexibility, but it was clear he believed Rondo was the best prospect and he wasn't seen as a good one.
But 20 years later, his work was impressive: it not only paved the way for the Garnett trade to become feasible (getting Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and Portland's first-round pick were re-routed to Minnesota the next year), but he also got one of the best players from the draft. It's not like Rondo took the NBA by storm his rookie year, but he was quite electric.
Even more impressive was that Boston initially had Telfair and Delonte West ahead of him on their depth chart, but it was pretty clear over the course of the season that Rondo was better than them. Even better, the only prospect more promising than him on the Celtics was Al Jefferson, the centerpiece of the Garnett trade.
We didn't know the full extent of Rondo's abilities, but as he rose into one of the NBA's best point guards and most iconic playoff risers in Celtics history, it was clear Boston lucked out that Minnesota didn't ask for him.
So much would have been different had he been included. Maybe Banner 17 never happens, the Big 3 era maybe ends in 2009, and the Timberwolves' history would be even better than it turned out in the end.
Garnett should be remembered for what he did for the Celtics, but Rondo should be remembered for how long the good times lasted.
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