Minnesota Timberwolves: The Wolves can’t afford to trade Jimmy Butler without a fight
The Minnesota Timberwolves need to do everything humanly possibly to keep Jimmy Butler on their roster
It’s no longer news, the drama surrounding Jimmy Butler and the Minnesota Timberwolves after he requested a trade from the team prior to the start of training camp. Trade discussions in a bid to find a suitable deal for both the Wolves and Butler proved futile as no beneficial agreement for both parties was agreed on.
Heading into the current season there was confusion as to whether or not Butler would suit up for the Wolves this season, Butler however, showed up to training camp and in bid to show his importance to the organization, took the teams second and third string players and defeated the starters in practice.
Butler in his team’s last outing against the Los Angeles Lakers further showed his importance to the Wolves as he scored 15 of the teams last 25 points, in which he hit a three point dagger with 19.7 seconds left in the game to seal the victory for the Timberwolves.
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Furthermore, the Timberwolves, last season, are a further indication of just how important Butler is to the team as he guided the Wolves to their first playoff appearance since the 2004 season. Butler’s two-way play and leadership were crucial to the team as they were the third seed in the western conference prior to him missing 17 games due to an Injury. In the space of those 17 games he missed, the wolves had a record of 8-9.
Although the Wolves are building their long term future around young Karl-Anthony Towns, Butler has played and would still play an integral role in leading the Wolves to the playoffs for the second straight season.
Butler in the 2017-18 season was clearly the best player for the Wolves as he averaged 22.2 points per game and had a career-high in overall shooting (47.4% percent) and steals per game (2.0) leading the wolves to their best season since 2004 as they finished eight in the Western Conference with a 47-35 record.
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It would be highly advisable for the Minnesota Timberwolves to try everything seemingly possible to hold on to Jimmy Butler and in the case that fails the organization should work at getting the best possible trade deal for a player of his calibre.