Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, the greatest player in Timberwolves history and their only MVP, is reuniting with the franchise according to an ESPN report.
He’ll have a business, community and fan engagement role with both the Wolves and the Lynx. On their official Twitter/X account, the Wolves simply posted, “THE BIG TICKET IS BACK.” A formal announcement is expected soon.
A jersey retirement ceremony for Garnett is also reportedly in the works after years of clamoring from fans.
Garnett has eschewed such a moment because of a strained relationship with former Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, that dates back nearly a decade. The Celtics, with whom Garnett won a championship, retired his jersey in 2022.
New Wolves owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who officially took over control of the team in mid-2025, have been working to mend fences with Garnett. Thursday’s news is the latest step in that process.
Here are nine more things to know today:
- I spent a good chunk of time on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast dissecting Wednesday’s Twins news. My main takeaway is that Tom Pohlad, who is taking over as the top family executive overseeing the franchise, is better at articulating his vision than brother Joe Pohlad.
- That said, I also have the feeling that things are going to get worse for the Twins before they get better. Tom Pohlad isn’t blind to the franchise’s economic reality, but it sounds like a significant investment in the 2026 team is not going to happen. He said: “I don’t think the landscape, what I see right now, that we should put a significant investment into the team of [adding] $50-60 million [to the payroll], but I don’t think we’re far off from that.”
- As colleague La Velle E. Neal III wrote, the Twins seem to be biding their time until two big things happen: A new collective bargaining agreement (the old one expires after the 2026 season) that could create greater economic parity and a better media deal from shared local rights and new national deals after the 2028 season. The franchise value could soar as a result, making the Pohlad family (and limited partners) ready to cash in.
- But in the short-term, there could be continued seasons of right-sizing the payroll, to borrow one of Joe Pohlad’s terms. My question: If franchise values are really going to go up, wouldn’t it make sense to invest in the team along the way? Actions and not words are the way to win back a fan base that Tom Pohlad acknowledged is very frustrated as of now.
- I’ll have more on this during Friday’s podcast with Star Tribune Twins writer Bobby Nightengale.
- Also on Thursday’s show, I welcomed in Strib Varsity’s Marcus Fuller. We spent a lot of time on his fun profile of a teenage basketball referee.
- Timberwolves coach Chris Finch tends to choose his words carefully, so it was interesting to hear him use “awful” and “horrendous” to describe the Wolves’ performance in Wednesday’s loss to Memphis. Has there ever been more angst (justified angst, I might add) over a 17-10 team?
- The Giants do not have a good defense but they have talented pass rushers. It’s a good thing to watch when J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings face New York on Sunday.
- The Indiana Bears?
![Kevin Garnett was introduced to the Twins Cities media at Target Center Tuesday February 24, 2015 in Minneapolis , MN.] Jerry Holt/ Jerry.Holt@Startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/7S4BC6VES2FCNGP6U42ZTDVMLQ.jpg?&w=252&ar=3:2&fit=crop)
