http://www.twincities.com/timberwolves/ci_6256533 Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale scoffed at rampant trade rumors involving all-star Kevin Garnett and said he assumes his franchise player will be a member of the team when training camp starts. "Kevin's a member of the team right now," McHale said Thursday night. "I assume he'll be a member of the team this fall." Asked if he had spoken with Garnett to reassure him of his future with the team, McHale said he had talked to Garnett's agent but wouldn't reveal details. "Those (trade) rumors are fed by you guys" in the media, McHale said. "I actually got a charge out of most of the stuff. Man, I tell you what, there's a lot more stuff going on in this league that I'm doing that I didn't know I was, that's for sure." At this rate, eventually all of the teams in the NBA will have been close to a deal for Garnett, if the wild trade rumors quickly splashed on the Internet are to be believed. Thursday brought another round of rampant rumors fromESPN.com, all of them attributed to anonymous sources. The latest rumor was that the Wolves contacted the Charlotte Bobcats to try to complete a deal for Garnett after a potential three-way deal involving Phoenix and Atlanta hit a snag. But that deal with Charlotte didn't materialize. Charlotte made its No. 8 pick, which turned out to be Brandan Wright, and traded him along with the rights to second-round pick Jermareo Davidson to Golden State. In return, Charlotte received veteran Jason Richardson. The trade rumor was published before Minnesota drafted Florida's Corey Brewer seventh overall. Then the draft was completed, and no trades involving the Wolves were announced. But that doesn't mean there won't be any trades. Apparently they just won't involve Garnett, if McHale is to be believed. "We've had a lot of different talks with a lot of different teams," said McHale, who didn't discuss specifics. "I think there are probably a few deals that we're pretty far down the road on." With trades being his first priority, McHale said he doesn't expect the Wolves to get heavily involved in pursuing free agents perhaps until late in the summer. As for Garnett, the draft might have been an unofficial deadline of sorts. The Wolves could have controlled their destiny had they acquired picks before the draft and made their own selections. Another important date is Sunday. If a trade is made involving Garnett before Sunday, the extra cash coming from his trade kicker, up to $6.75 million, could be applied to last season and next season. Starting Sunday, the trade kicker will be applied in full to next season's salary, which could push Garnett's total compensation to almost $29 million. McHale's assumption that Garnett won't be traded could quiet some of the rumors. But Garnett's future will continue to be uncertain unless McHale makes a more definitive statement that Garnett is off limits. Brewer's first comments to the Twin Cities media included doubts about Garnett's status. "I hope he's there, but I have no idea," Brewer said. "You never know what can happen with that." --

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