Kevin Garnett Heads to Boston, But Are the Celtics Done?

Well, it looks like it's official: Kevin Garnett will wear Celtic green next year, teaming up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to form one of the most potent (and definitely the most expensive) trio of players in the entire league. From the Boston Herald:

A league source just confirmed that the Celtics and Timberwolves have finalized a deal that will bring Kevin Garnett to Boston in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff and two first round draft picks.

Garnett is expected to arrive in Boston this afternoon for a physical.

Garnett has agreed to a three-year extension with the Celtics beyond the two remaining on his contract, guaranteeing that he will be a Celtic for the next five years.

That's pretty much the same package everyone was talking about yesterday, except that there are now two first-round picks instead of just one headed to Minnesota. It's far too early to say who actually won this trade (especially considering four of the five players Minnesota received are 24 years or younger) but we do know one thing for sure: Boston's depth took a huge hit.

How huge? There are only nine players under contract. I'm guessing the starting lineup will feature Rajon Rondo at point, Allen at shooting guard, Pierce at the three, KG at the four and Kendrick Perkins in the middle. After that, there's currently a four-man bench consisting of Brian Scalabrine, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and undrafted rookie Brandon Wallace. Of course, bank on second-round picks Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt filling two more slots but there are still four available jobs on the 15-man roster.

If the Celtics are serious about not just contending but leapfrogging the likes of Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago to get out of the East, they can't afford to round out the roster with D-League-caliber scrubs, especially since their bench is already filled with recent second-round picks and an undrafted rookie. Instead, I won't be surprised to see them use their mid-level exception to go after some of the top remaining free agents.

As I see it, this team needs size on the bench -- there's not a player on the roster after KG and Perkins who's taller than 6-9. Would P.J. Brown be willing to postpone retirement to spell KG off the bench? What about Chris Webber? Does Rafael Arajuo think he might be able to beat out Perkins for a starting job? All three are unrestricted free agents.

The Celtics also have to be at least a little worried about their point guard: is Rondo up to the challenge? Will Pruitt be ready to serve as an adequate backup? If they're looking for insurance, they might be able to convince Brevin Knight or Earl Boykins to come on board. The small forward spot is awfully bare when Pierce isn't in the game: Matt Barnes, Ruben Patterson or James Posey might be a solid addition there.

Most of those players can be had for less than the full mid-level exception, which makes me think the Celtics should be able to add at least two more legitimate rotation guys to their roster. If everyone can come together and jell early in the season, it might be enough to overtake Toronto to win the Atlantic Division and secure home court advantage.