NBA
The Crazy Auction For Jimmy Butler
The Minnesota Timberwolves preseason began on Saturday night against the Golden State Warriors, but they were missing one key piece. All-star forward Jimmy Butler, who has requested a trade, was away from the team. It’s because he hasn’t been traded yet, and he has no desire in playing for the Timberwolves again.
Butler recently has requested a trade from the Timberwolves, and they have been trying to pull one off. Sort of. Head coach and President of Operations, Tom Thibodeau, has been reluctant to trade him considering he traded for Butler just over a year ago and it’s blowing up in his face. Owner Glen Taylor has said to the league to contact him directly if Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden aren’t responding.
Well, they have been, but with some pretty outrageous trades. One trade they asked the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons. Some trades consisted of three or four teams. There have been some legitimate trades, but one piece wouldn’t work so that would halt the trade. The Timberwolves wants to avoid taking too many steps back so that’s maybe why they haven’t pulled the trigger. Instead of just meeting the request of Butler, they are looking at what they can get.
Who’s Most Interested In Jimmy Butler?
Butler’s contract is up at the end of the season. So the team he’d be getting traded to would have to be prepared to offer him big money next summer. The Miami Heat have been the most persistent, but one player that the Timberwolves want included in a potential trade is 3 and D youngster Josh Richardson. The Heat aren’t willing to part ways with Richardson yet. They’ve thrown out a couple different offers that would also have to included different teams. One trade with the Phoenix Suns is in the mix and another trade with the Sacramento Kings. Even with all the options, there’s still no traction.
The Houston Rockets have also been aggressive. They’ve has been looking for another star to compete with the Warriors, and they feel that Butler’s tenacity could be the key for them. There have been a handful of offers thrown around. The offers have been revolving around former sixth man of the year and sharpshooter Eric Gordon. They haven’t just been able to find the concoction of talent to go with Gordon.
The Timberwolves may not need an exact star in return. They already signed All-star center Karl-Anthony Towns to a 5 year, $190 million extension, so it’s now time to build around him. Andrew Wiggins is around too and hopefully he can become that second star. They don’t need to rush anything too much though. They have two young stars with a deeper bench this year, so they can wait for the best offer and hope they can keep the boat afloat.
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The Wealth Record via Flickr
