Jimmy Butler What Minnesota Timberwolves Need?

Jimmy Butler may re-join former head coach Tom Thibodeau with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves have the pieces to present an enticing package to the Chicago Bulls.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hired Tom Thibodeau as head coach and president of basketball operations, which will yield fewer turnovers and tougher defense.

Thibodeau, who was previously employed by the Chicago Bulls, built a strong relationship with star guard Jimmy Butler and developed center Joakim Noah into a premier player.

Any rumors that would link these two players with the Wolves makes a lot of sense. Butler is still under contract with the Bulls through the 2018-19 regular season with a player option for the 2019-20 season. Noah will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

It is less than 10 days before the 2016 NBA Draft and trade talks will heat up soon. In fact, they may already be alive. ESPN‘s Marc Stein reported that the Wolves are willing to move the No. 5 pick in the draft in a trade for Butler.

Minnesota would need to add to that deal, and they certainly have young players that could create an enticing package for the Bulls.

Along with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft, that could net the Bulls one of Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield, the Wolves could also offer young wings Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad or big men Gorgui Dieng and Nikola Pekovic.

Would a package surrounding the No. 5 pick and a combination of these young players be enough to get the Bulls to pull the trigger? One would think, but as KSTP’s Darren Wolfson has said multiple times, the Bulls won’t deal Butler to the Wolves unless they land Andrew Wiggins.

Good work from Marc. Word is Bulls won't do if AW not involved. If wanted to move JB, bet Bos. would give up No. 3. https://t.co/YBBxwCi8Es
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 14, 2016

Remember that Wiggins is the prized possession of a deal that sent Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers. In two seasons, Wiggins is looking like he will develop into a star. He is averaging 18.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game in his short, two-year career.

He is good on both ends of the court, but can take his offensive game to the next level by improving as a three-point shooter, shooting 30.4 percent on threes for his career.

Pairing Wiggins with Rookie of the Year winner Karl-Anthony Towns gives the Wolves an already-bright future and holding the fifth pick in the draft gives the them an opportunity to add to the talented duo.

Adding Butler would certainly give the Wolves another weapon, but does he add anything to this team?

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The Wolves’ biggest struggles last season came from the perimeter. They only hit 33.8 percent of their three-point attempts, which was 25th in the NBA.

Among the best three-point shooters on the team were LaVine (38.9 percent), Nemanja Bjelica (38.4 percent), Towns (34.1 percent) and Damjan Rudez (34.0 percent).

If LaVine were to be involved in the deal, the Wolves would be losing their best three-point shooter and would leave them with Bjelica, a role player, and Towns, who only attempted 88 threes, as the best shooters returning.

Would Butler be able to help the Wolves with three-point shooting? Possibly. Butler hit a 37.8 percent on three-pointers during the 2014-15 season, but dipped to 31.2 percent last season. His career high was 38.1 percent during the 2012-13 season.

His inconsistencies from deep make it difficult to confidently say he’d improve that area of Minnesota’s game.

Feb 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) drives on Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the second half at the United Center. Chicago won 96-89. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /

Butler, 26, will improve the team defensively, but an area where Thibodeau really wants to cut down is on turnovers and Butler can help there.

His usage rate was 24.4 percent last season, and his turnover rate was only 9.6. Only Muhammad (8.2) had a better turnover rate on the Wolves last season.

Something that Butler can provide is veteran leadership as a player that has been to the playoffs before.

The Wolves have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA having missed the postseason, looking to avoid missing the playoffs for the 13th straight year.

Earlier this month, Wolves’ point guard Ricky Rubio told Catalunya Radio that “six years without playoffs is a long time”, according to ESPN.com‘s translation. Rubio went on to say that at 26 years old he would have to start looking at other options.

Bringing Butler in would give the Wolves an opportunity to compete right away, regardless of what they give up.

If Thibodeau can manage to acquire Butler and maintain the starting rotation with Rubio, Wiggins and Towns, they would have a solid rotation that will compete on both ends of the court.

Butler’s defense and veteran presence would bolster the Wolves rotations, but how much of a help would it be? Minnesota would lose some depth to get a star guard who is under control for the next four seasons.

Take a look at the seasons that Wiggins and Butler had in terms of their numbers:

Wiggins: .459/.300/.761 20.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG
Butler: .454/.312/.832 20.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.6 SPG

Wiggins and Butler have very similar games. Wiggins uses his athleticism to score and Butler uses more strength to get his buckets. As Wiggins’ body matures (remember, he’s only 21) he will add strength and be able to add another asset and build his skill set.

Is Jimmy Butler The Glass Slipper The Minnesota Timberwolves Need?

By Aaron Ferguson | Jun 15, 2016

Jimmy Butler may re-join former head coach Tom Thibodeau with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves have the pieces to present an enticing package to the Chicago Bulls.

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