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

By James Grieco

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 11: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 11, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 112-106. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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The Field

Both Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard were traded to teams that were not on their original list of destinations. The same could very well be true for Jimmy Butler.

Quite frankly, Butler may have hurt himself by waiting until the middle of September to formally request a trade, as many of the contenders are capped out and have no way to trade for him.

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If Butler values winning as much as he has claimed in the past, the Clippers, Knicks and Nets don’t seem like promising contenders in the 2018-19 season or beyond, unless they make major free agent splashes.

Possible teams to watch out for are the Miami Heat, always on the hunt for stars, and the Toronto Raptors, who seem to be all-in for a championship chase this year.

Regardless, the Timberwolves will likely need to leverage the fact that they can trade Butler anywhere to extract maximum value from the Clippers, Knicks or Nets. Otherwise, their best hope is a team Butler didn’t list gets desperate enough to offer some combination of young players and draft picks.

To clarify, young players and draft picks are exactly what Minnesota should target; without Butler, the team is unlikely to survive in the loaded Western Conference this year, so chasing the playoffs and a first round ass-whooping would only further exacerbate the franchise’s problems.

If Thibodeau wants to salvage last year’s trade to bring Butler in, the Timberwolves will need to target a similar package (although probably a weaker one since Butler is only under contract for one year).

Next. NBA trade rumors - 10 potential Jimmy Butler landing spots. dark

With how badly things have gone for a team that made the playoffs last year for the first time in 14 years, Minnesota probably needs another front office reset after all this. Hopefully Glen Taylor sees things that way and relieves Thibodeau of his duties, because this Jimmy Butler mess is almost entirely his fault.

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