NBA Trade Rumors: Jimmy Butler has informed the Minnesota Timberwolves that he would like to be traded
UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jimmy Butler’s three preferred destinations are the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers or New York Knicks.
Not good. Not good at all.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Jimmy Butler, when he met with Tom Thibodeau this week, requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Earlier this summer, Butler refused to sign a long-term extension with the team. At the moment, it didn’t make much sense because if he waits to re-sign with the team this summer, he could ink more money.
However, perhaps there was more to that report that initially thought. Maybe he didn’t sign the extension because he already knew he wanted out. If so, it all makes much more sense now.
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It’s going to be interesting to see where he gets dealt, if the Wolves intend on appeasing his request. According to Shams, Butler has given the Wolves 1-3 destinations where he’d sign a contract extension with next summer.
We don’t know much more than that at the moment, but if I had to give my best guess those three teams have to be big market franchises. You’d expect the Los Angeles Lakers to be on the list, especially now that LeBron James is in town.
Maybe the New York Knicks are also on that list, considering he’s already been linked to potentially signing with the team, along with Kyrie Irving, when he becomes a free agent next summer. The third possible team could be anything from the Brooklyn Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers – maybe with the Miami Heat sandwiched in-between.
There’s no question that we could see a bidding war over the next few days and weeks, depending on how long Minnesota wants to stretch this out. It should noted that NBA training camps open soon, and for the Wolves this request comes less than one week before theirs opens.
The next few days are going to be mildly interesting in the NBA, and whale hunting season is underway once again.