NBA: 5 pros and cons from the Jimmy Butler trade

Con 5: In this trade, Minnesota doesn’t get back the best value they could of for a player like Jimmy Butler

In looking over the entire trade and evaluating the caliber of player that Jimmy Butler currently is only leaves us with the conclusion that Minnesota didn’t get back fair value in this trade. As we look at the trade details

Minnesota Receives:

F Robert Covington, F Dario Saric, G Jerryd Bayless, and 2022 Second Pick

Philadelphia Receives: 

G/F Jimmy Butler and C Justin Patton

Given the position Jimmy Butler left the Timberwolves front office due to his summer trade request and subsequent locker room troubles the trade could be as good as the Wolves could of gotten. But reports of the Wolves turning down deals from the Houston Rockets that included multiple first round picks as well as possible deals from the New Orleans Pelicans and the Miami Heat creates questions of could the Wolves of produced a deal with greater net returns.

The issue I see with the deal is the lack of a first round pick in the deal. A player of Butler’s caliber has to net a player with all-star potential or a first round pick that carries that same possibility. In this deal I believe Minnesota missed that opportunity, even in the Paul George trade to OKC from Indiana, we can point to that fact that Indiana netted a future All-Star in return in Victor Oladipo from the Thunder.

While Covington and Saric are both very young and have great potential, neither of them or laden with the prospects that Oladipo had then or apon entering the league in 2013.