It has been eight years since the Minnesota Timberwolves last made the NBA playoffs.
Coincidentally, it has also been eight years since the Timberwolves traded away their franchise player, Garnett had waived his no-trade clause, allowing the franchise that once drafted him straight out of high school to trade away 26-year old he provided mentorship to younger players.
The Timberwolves won't be seeing any huge results on the court from Garnett, whose individual nERD is just -0.6, which indicates he's slightly below league-average in efficiency.
What, though, do the Nets get out of the deal?
Young's Impact
At 22-31, the Brooklyn Nets are currently holding the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. Hard to believe, right?
Keeping positive, the Nets are likely hoping they have just acquired the Thaddeus Young of the past and not the present. Last year, in Young's most recent full season with the Philadelphia 76ers, he contributed career-high numbers in 79 games, posting 17.9 points and 2.1 steals per game. This year, Young has been a part of a team currently in the rebuilding process and one that competes in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, two components that likely are impacting his current statistics.
This year, Young has a nERD score of -4.7, which ranks 120th out of 140 qualified players in the league. In his first game with the Nets, Young provided 8 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 12 minutes, so his role is still uncertain, but if he can get back to the efficiency of his earlier career (he averaged a 4.8 nERD from 2010-11 to 2012-13), then he could provide a spark for a team fighting for the playoffs.
But let's be real, although the Nets have a shot at the playoffs, our algorithms predict that they have a 0.00% chance to win the NBA Championship. They have yet to beat the Cavaliers and Hawks this year and have beat the Bulls only once. Additionally, adding the extremely ineffeicient Young at the trade deadline actually decreased their playoff odds, but the injury to Chris Bosh could open the window for them.
What To Look For
Don't expect an instant impact during the remainder of the season by the Timberwolves. Rather, Garnett's impact will likely be seen in the following NBA seasons, depending on how long he plans to play before retiring. One player in particular to pay attention to is former number one draft pick, Anthony Bennett, who has only displayed signs of being the next NBA bust.
As for the Nets, there is a window in the form of the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference -- or even the 7 seed if the Heat struggle. The move doesn't necessarily help the long-term prospect of the Nets if Young can't start to be the more efficient player he was in years past, but if he does, his impact might be felt sooner rather than later.