NBA
Why Jimmy Butler And The Timberwolves Should Part Ways
Minnesota Timberwolves star forward Jimmy Butler turned down a four-year, $110 million extension last week, which wasn’t surprising. It’s not surprising because if Butler re-signs with the Timberwolves next summer, he can sign a five-year max deal worth $190 million. If he chooses to leave, he’ll have a four-year max deal worth $140 million on the table. So with Butler turning down the extension, what should the Timberwolves do? At this point, it’s time for both sides to move on. Here are three reasons why.
The first reason is Butler is a very good player, but he’s not a franchise caliber player. He’s in the same boat as Paul George and DeMar DeRozan. They’re complementary stars at best, and the Timberwolves currently don’t have a franchise player they can complement him with. They’ve been hoping for Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins to make that leap, but it hasn’t happened yet.
The second reason why the Timberwolves should trade him is the heavy minutes he’s played under their head coach Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau has been known for playing his starters heavy minutes because he doesn’t trust young guys or his bench. Butler will have wear and tear on his body for logging extra minutes, which should concern them. He also missed six weeks last season due to a meniscus tear in his right knee.
The third and final reason why they should part ways is their window to contending isn’t there. Even if they keep Butler long term, will the Timberwolves be good enough to compete with the Golden State Warriors and the rest of the NBA’s elite? That’s not looking promising at the moment. Plus with the rumors of him wanting to team with Kyrie Irving are out there. So it’s best for the Timberwolves to start fielding trade discussions because regardless what happens, they won’t be a serious championship contender anytime soon.
