Minnesota Timberwolves: After Jimmy Butler trade request, what now?

Brooklyn Nets

While the Nets are probably happier to hear their name mentioned on Butler’s list considering their unprecedented last half-decade of misery, they have taken to preaching the long-view similar to their New York counterparts. Last year general manger Sean Marks told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor as much, saying the team wouldn’t take any “shortcuts.”

Depending on how Brooklyn handles D’Angelo Russell‘s impending restricted free agency, they too could have a path to two max contract spaces. With Butler declaring some level of desire to play there, maybe the franchise is emboldened by dreams of becoming the free agent destination they dreamed of being when they moved to Brooklyn.

The Nets have a bit of what the Clippers and Knicks can offer. Minnesota should be cautious about trading for the chance to pay Russell a ridiculously large amount next summer, but if the Nets aren’t willing to move promising young players like Caris LeVert or Jarrett Allen, there may not be enough to get the deal done.

The Nets know better than anyone the danger of trading away too many draft picks, and are unlikely to trade away the farm for someone they could sign outright next summer.

The pieces are here, especially with the Nets holding multiple expiring deals to make the money match. However, cap space isn’t terribly valuable to Minnesota considering high-level free agents have never even considered the franchise. Like the Knicks, it’s hard to know how much the Nets are willing to give up after spending years trying to rebuild their entire franchise from the ground up.