Garnett heads to Boston Celtics

Superstar Kevin Garnett will move to Boston after the Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves officially agreed on a blockbuster trade.

The Celtics have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday 6pm local time to officially announce the deal.

In exchange for Garnett, the Celtics will send forwards Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, swingman Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair, centre Theo Ratliff, two future first-round picks and cash considerations to the Timberwolves.

Minnesota will receive Boston's 2009 first-round selection and the first-round pick it traded away to the Celtics in a January 2006 deal.

‘This trade is about improving the Minnesota Timberwolves and improving our team for the future,’ Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale said.

‘The past few seasons our on-court performance has been disappointing to our fans, myself, Glen Taylor and entire organisation.

‘Through this trade, we have obtained very talented young players with a lot of potential, future flexibility with the salary cap and two future first-round NBA draft picks.’

But the trade is centred around Garnett, whose arrival in Boston likely will make the once-proud franchise relevant again.

In the weak Eastern Conference, the Celtics would have a dynamic - albeit ageing - trio of Garnett, forward Paul Pierce and guard Ray Allen, who was acquired in a draft-night trade from Seattle.

The Celtics went just 24-58 last season, the second-worst mark in the league. They also have not won a play-off series since the 2002-03 campaign.

But after a disappointing outcome in the draft lottery, the Celtics missed out on one of the top two picks in one of the deepest drafts in years. They instead decided to build their team around a veteran core.

However, the deal was not easily completed.

Before June's draft, Celtics executive director Danny Ainge and McHale - good friends from their playing days in Boston - also engaged in trade talks.

But the option on Garnett's contract, along with his hesitancy to play in Boston, were major factors in the deal not being completed.

According to the Boston Globe, Garnett likely agreed to take his player option as a condition of the trade, and the Celtics likely will look to come to terms with the player nicknamed ‘The Big Ticket’ on terms of a contract extension.

A 10-time All-Star and the league MVP in 2004, Garnett has spent his entire 12-year career with Minnesota. The 6ft 11in star has career averages of 20.5 points and 11.4 rebounds in 927 games.

Garnett, 31, averaged 22.4 points and 12.8 rebounds last season. The superstar again was left frustrated by the Timberwolves' inability to compete for a championship.

Jefferson, 22, would give the Timberwolves one of the league's bright young superstars. The 6ft 10in Jefferson averaged 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds last season, his third in the NBA.

Green, 21, a first-round pick in 2005, is a former NBA Slam Dunk champion who averaged 10.4 points last season, while Gomes, 24, averaged 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds last season.

Telfair had a turbulent season in which he averaged 6.1 points. In April, the former high school phenomenon was arrested and charged with second-degree possession of a handgun and driving with a suspended license after a traffic stop in Yonkers, New York.

Ratliff, 34, underwent back surgery in January and appeared in just two games. His $11.7 million contract expires after next season, making him an attractive salary-cap option for the Timberwolves.