A 4-team mega-trade involving the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler

Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
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(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Minnesota Timberwolves

With young talent such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, it certainly wouldn’t be expected that a player in their prime such as Butler would want to clear for the exits after just one season with the T-Wolves.

However, it certainly raises many questions to the overall approach of this young duo. Despite Butler’s apparent displeasure, Towns was selected to his first All-Star game last season in averaging 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, which featured excellent .545/.421/.858 shooting splits.

For his part, Wiggins’ output took a hit with the arrival of Butler, with his scoring dropping from 23.6 to 17.7 points per game. Simply an elite athlete, Wiggins’ consistency though was far from optimal, with 10 single-figure scoring games illustrating this point. To their credit, Towns and Wiggins, both former No. 1 overall selections, played all 82 games — quite noteworthy considering just 26 players in the league achieved this feat.

Considering the defensive-minded approach of coach Thibodeau, parting ways with Butler would take a seismic change of heart. Last season, the Timberwolves were 7.1 points per 100 possessions better off defensively when Butler was on the floor.

While dealing away Butler would be an enormous call, his age and current contract status make him the most likely to be shipped away. Prior to last season, Wiggins agreed to a five-year, $147 million contract extension, which commences in 2018-19, thus making him almost untradeable for the time being. Furthermore, Towns becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the next season, and is widely viewed as the cornerstone of the franchise.