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Luka Garza's Dad Reacts to Son Choosing Celtics Over Wolves
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

When the Minnesota Timberwolves declined to opt in to the final year of Luka Garza's contract, there was still a possibility he would return.

The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski maintained on social media that, despite the Wolves letting Garza test the market, there was a strong possibility he would return depending on the market.

However, the Boston Celtics made an offer Garza could not refuse. They reached a two-year, $5.5 million fully guaranteed contract with Garza, who has a fast track to playing time with the departures of Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kornet.

Garza, who played in 39 games and just 5.6 minutes per game, was a fan favorite who was buried on the roster with the likes of Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid and Julius Randle ahead of him.

It's safe to say Garza's father, Frank, was ecstatic about his son moving on after three years in Minnesota, but also sad to see him leave his Midwest roots as an Iowa native.

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"So happy to be in Boston," Frank wrote. "Sad to leave Wolves."

A scroll through Frank's X feed shows rousing support for his son and the move that made sense for all sides. Luka play primarily mop-up minutes in Minnesota but had grown tremendously in the Timberwolves' player development program.

Krawczynski added that Boston moving in to sign Garza the same day the Wolves opted out of his deal was a sign of the Celtics' continual interest in him as a prospect for years.

"The Celtics had long been fans of Garza’s, periodically checking in with the Wolves on his availability over the years, team sources said," Krawczynski wrote

"The Wolves could have played hardball with Garza and kept him in Minnesota with an uncertain role. But they didn’t want to stand in his way any longer. With Gobert, Reid and Randle all back, there was no pathway to consistent minutes. Those in the organization, team sources said, were thrilled to see him get real guaranteed money and a chance in Boston after working so hard and being such a good teammate for three years in Minnesota."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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