As NBA stars alligned for the All-Star weekend, the media was ready to pounce on trade rumors. When players sat down to address questions from the media, no one could avoid the questions over the looming trade deadline. So when Clippers' stars Chris Paul and Blake Grffin were seated next to Kevin Garnett during the interview session, it only fueled the possible trade even more. The guys were no strangers to the news of Garnett possibly changing teams.
"I think people were just talking. At the end of the day, who wouldn't want to have Kevin Garnett on their team? I talk about that guy all day, ever day, his intensity to the game and how he plays the game. He's a special palyer. That's a guy right there that I look up to for a long time. Me and Chauncey (Billups) are really close and he and Chauncey are really close and everything I know about him is that he's a very loyal guy," Paul said.
Garnett's loyalty might be the one thing that hinders the possibility of the Clippers being able to trade for him. There is a no-trade clause currently in his contract and Garnett would have to be willing to wave that in order to head to L.A. At this moment, he is saying he is unwilling to drop the contract clause.
"If it's up to me, I will live and die green," Garnett said.
Having Garnett on the Clippers could do wonders for Blake Griffin. He could open the lane allowing Griffin to make his way to the basket. Garnett is great at spreading the floor and opening shots up. There is certainly room for improvement on the L.A. roster and Garnett could be the key player that gets them far into the playoffs.
"I think we need to be better. I think we have enough talent to be a championship contender. Sometimes you have to plany the seeds and let them grow and all that but with the pieces we have now is the time to continually keep attacking and make those moves to be a championship team," Griffin said.
Paul says the team is not focusing on the possibility of adding new players to the lineup. He believes they are in a position to do well with the current group. The Clippers are playing some of the best basketball in franchise history and with or without Garnett, they can take the team far.
