What if I told you the same Minnesota Timberwolves that are dominating the NBA playoffs today were once ruined by a forgotten NBA player? Joe Smith, a number one draft pick in 1995, ruined basketball in Minnesota for over a decade & led to their most beloved player requesting a trade.
The 1995 NBA Draft was loaded with talent. While Joe Smith went first overall to the Warriors, players like Antonio McDyess, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, Corliss Williamson, Theo Ratliff, Greg Ostertag & Kevin Garnett all went in the first round.
Joe Smith’s first four years in the NBA were solid for the young power forward, but he found himself in free agency with an opportunity of a lifetime: join Kevin Garnett, the 5th pick in the same 1995 draft that he headlined.
The NBA was fresh off of the lockout in 1999, but Joe Smith shocked the basketball world when he signed a one-year deal with Minnesota. Even stranger, the following season he signed another one-year deal worth $2.1 million. The reason why sent shockwaves through the NBA, however.
Joe Smith & his agent had struck a secret illegal deal, under-the-table, for seven years & $86 million dollars. Smith, his agent, the Timberwolves owner & VP were using one-year deals to circumvent the salary cap and to gain “Bird Rights” with Minnesota for Smith.
Smith’s agent, Andrew Miller, was also Kevin Garnett’s agent, oddly enough. Miller was a part of a firm with Eric Fleisher & when the two parted ways, Miller retained Smith and Kevin Garnett in the split. This prompted the lawsuit that led to the illegal agreement being revealed. The penalty? One of the toughest we’ve seen in NBA history.
David Stern suspended both the owner, Glen Taylor, and team VP, Kevin McHale, for an entire NBA season. In addition to the suspensions, the Timberwolves were originally stripped over FIVE 1st-round draft picks and received a fine of $3.5 million.
Kevin McHale denied knowledge & stated that he merely initialed the contracts without ever reading them over while the owner Glen Taylor took full responsibility and claimed direct knowledge. David Stern did, however, restore the Timberwolves’ 2003 1st-round draft pick after both Taylor & McHale accepted their suspensions.
Kevin Garnett was in his prime at this stage of his career and rather than give Minnesota an opportunity to build around him, the team was gutted and players were hesitant to join in free agency. Some of the players the Timberwolves may have potentially missed out on over the next few drafts? Paul Gasol, Jason Richardson, Tony Parker, Yao Ming, Jay Williams, Amar’e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard, Ben Gordon, Andre Iguodala & so many more.
Smith was immediately allowed to enter free agency & signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons. The following season he returned to the Timberwolves and ultimately spent the rest of his career as a journeyman. Over the course of his 16 year career, Smith played for a whopping 12 different NBA teams.
While Kevin Garnett dominated the NBA at the power forward position, his frustration quickly grew each season. Minnesota struggled due to the loss of draft picks and lack of major free agent signings & Kevin Garnett ultimately forced a trade to the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2007.
Minnesota basketball was never truly the same & the best years of Kevin Garnett were ultimately sacrificed due to Joe Smith’s secret illegal contract. It has taken over 20 years for Minnesota basketball to return to a level of dominance that fans once thought they’d have with Joe Smith & Kevin Garnett as the core of their roster.
Joe Smith may have been a number one overall selection in the 1995 draft and averaged 10 PPG/6 RPG, but he’ll always be remembered as the guy who led to the collapse of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Love stories like this? Every Wednesday we’ll drop a new entry in the Once Upon a Bad Contract series to take a look at how bad contracts shaped the history of sports.
