Well it turns out the rumors are true! Jimmy Butler's discontent was too much to handle and he finally declared that he wants to be traded. The Timberwolves originally brought him in, A YEAR AGO, so that he could provide leadership for their young core and so he could be the superstar they needed to put them over the top and lead them to the promise land. I would say things have gone about as poorly as they could have though. This past season with Butler on the roster, the team snuck into the playoffs with 47 wins, were handled fairly easily by the Rockets, and became known as the TimberBulls because Coach Thibodeau insisted on bringing in every former Bulls player he used to coach. Along with mediocre success, there were rumors of Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns not getting along which has caused the Timberwolves to consider whether they need to trade one of them. Now that Jimmy Butler has declared he wants to be traded, the Timberwolves can pick Towns in this relationship and figure out where Butler should go.
Butler has three teams at the top of his list: The Clippers, The Knicks, and The Nets. I'm going to be honest, those are not the top three teams that would be on my list. According to ESPN insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, he also wants to play with another super star.
This is where things get complicated. All three of these teams are convinced they will be players in free agency next season since they all have from $25-40 million in cap space to use next off season. Adam Silver revealed last week that the salary cap for 2019-2020 offseason will be $109 million. An $8 million increase from this past offseason. Plus many teams will be off of their poor 2016 offseason contract making next season a very enticing time to enter free agency and means many teams will be clamoring for players. These multiple factors are probably what Butler was considering when choosing his team. If the cap jumps like it's projected and each of these teams make some clever trades to free up some additional space, then one of these three teams could make a good case for Butler to sign there with both a max 5-year deal and have an additional space for a very good to superstar player. However, apparently he does not want to wait that long to go to a team. Since he asked for a trade, it means he wants to go now. So let's do a thought exercise. Which of these three teams listed above, would be the best fit for him now?
The Clippers have a very interesting team to surround Butler with. They have gotten rid of all signs of Lob City and have signed multiple wings who can defend and shoot threes. They also have a salary in Danilo Gallinari ($21 million) who can match up with Butler's ($20 million) which makes them a logical trade partner financially. The only issue is that, besides salary matches, they do not own their first round pick next year (owed to the Celtics) so the Timberwolves will not receive a fair haul for Jimmy Butler. Although, since every team in the league knows that Butler wants to leave, the Wolves have lost more of their leverage and can expect to get only 75 cents on the dollar for Butler in a trade, and that is probably best case scenario. In terms of team fit, Butler slides in nicely here in the wing position. He can be the starter at the 2 and Avery Bradley can come off the bench or they can start both and drive opposing wings absolutely crazy as those two make opposing guards lives miserable. They also have a youthful wing in Shea Gilgeous-Alexander and another defender in Luc Mbah A Moute. Add in Tobias Harris at the 4 and this team has potential to keep offensive players up at night dreading having to face the Clippers. However, if you have not noticed already. They would have a glut at the 2 position which means that inevitably one of these players would have to be sent out in a trade for Butler. My best guess is Bradley or Gilgeous-Alexander is sent out to clear up additional salary cap space (for that second star) and because The Wolves will want either a defender or a new young player in return. If I were the Wolves, I would press hard to acquire Alexander. He is a good play maker, can score and play both point guard and shooting guard. He fits in nicely with both Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
In addition to how well Butler would fit in, the Clippers are also on the top of his list for teams he wishes to go to.
This works well in the Clippers favor because even if they do not figure out a trade for him, they can remain optimistic that he will still want to play for them next year. However, as the Lakers and Paul George have shown us, that is never a guarantee. I would make the trade as soon as possible if I were the Clippers. Do not take any risks. If he gets traded, especially to a team this also on his wish list, you are suddenly on the outside looking in with little to no chance of ever getting him.
The Knicks have the most potential for Butler if he gets traded there. However, he will need to be patient with them this year because their superstar Kristaps Porzingis is out the entire year and their best player on the roster, Kevin Knox is only a rookie this year. If he gets traded there, it will have to be for multiple salaries and draft picks because the Knicks do not have some clean massive deal they can include to sooth out the salary numbers. The Knicks have Joakim Noah under contract at $21 million a year, but they seems likely to stretch and waive him before a trade becomes a possibility for them. They also have Tim Hardaway Jr, but he has three more years, including a player option, on his contract that I just do not see the Timberwolves wanting to take on.
Butler, from a basketball standpoint, would fit in well with both a healthy Porzingis and Kevin Knox. They are all good enough shooters to be respected and can all get their own shot off the dribble which is important today with so many switches happening on defense. They can also all move their feet well enough to be competitive on defense in the Eastern Conference. Butler could even be good enough to put them over the top and make the Knicks a playoff team this year. He will certainly make the All-Star Team if he went there.
What I was referring to when I talked about the potential of the Knicks is their chances of landing another super star free agent in 2019. They have tried their best to set themselves up for either Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving to come to New York and play for them which, in company with Butler, would automatically make them a contender for the Finals in the East. I do not see them getting all three because it would be way too much money, but I definitely see a path for one of them getting to New York whether Butler is there or not. This is where there is a conundrum for the Knicks. They can either pull the trigger and trade away some pieces to get Butler now, or they can wait this season to see what they have, draft another young player and hope to sign two max free agents in the 2019 offseason. The Knicks have done a surprisingly good job of rebuilding since they dumped Carmelo a year ago. I believe it is in their best interest to stay the course and wait until the offseason to get Butler, Durant, or Irving. But, if Minnesota has a really generous offer for New York, it may be too enticing to turn down. My major concern though, is that Butler, when he is traded, is expecting a 5 year max deal with the team he lands on. That is a lot of money ($25-35 million range per year) for one player if a team is hoping to get another (more expensive) super star and field a competent roster. So, from a basketball standpoint, the Knicks are a good destination with greatness potential. I just do not believe making a big move like that so soon is in the Knick's best interest.
The Nets, the last team on the list is really a pick that seems like it is out of nowhere to me. If Butler's sole interest is making All-Star Teams and getting as much money as he can, then the Nets make perfect sense. The Nets also have salaries in Jarrett Allen and Allen Crabbe that they can give to the Timberwolves in exchange for Butler. They have multiple draft picks they have accumulated through acquiring bad contracts for teams and have enabled themselves to have about $80 million in cap space next season, meaning they can offer or extend any player with as much money as they want. This is the truly enticing factor that the Nets present.
From an on-court point of view, the move for the Nets makes less and less sense as you go down their roster. D'Angelo Russell is on the last year of his rookie team option which means that the Nets are going to have to either unload him, let him walk, or pay him. If they decide to pay him, then he is going to demand at least $15 million a year. This is not too bad from a cap point of view, but I do not see him being able to play along side Jimmy Butler since they are both ball dominant scorers. They are also not good enough shooters to space the floor for each other which means that the Nets will need to bring in even more talent to compliment their stars. The Nets would need, not only this offseason, but the next one as well to put together a fully fleshed out team that will allow them to compete. Butler going to the Nets and finding team success is reliant on them landing other big time free agent (i.e. Klay Thompson) and him working well with Russell. He can put up big numbers there and be the face of the franchise, but how long it be before he becomes discontent again and demands another trade since he is not finding the success he wanted?
Overall, the best place for Butler to land is the Clippers. They have all the tools around him to succeed, the location that is attractive to free agents, and he can be the face of a franchise. The Clippers are also in a position to make a move for Butler now which means he can get paid sooner which is what he wants. The only drawback is that he will need to play the Warriors four times a year and in the playoffs. The Knicks are a close second as they have the potential to make some big moves, but I just do not see them being in the position to make those big move until next off season. The Nets finish in 3rd mainly because they have so many questions that are up in the air for them. They have no major long term deals and they just do not fit as well team wise with Butler.
My ideal outcome, from an entertainment point of view, for Butler would be that he gets traded to the Knicks. For two reasons mainly: first, because it would be fun to see him play in the Garden and second, because we need another good Eastern Conference team to watch. Although I do not want him to get traded until after media day next week. I need as many awkward interviews and photos of him in a Timberwolves uniform as possible. Ideally, this will play out like Dwight Howard's saga did in Orlando and provides us with a season full of entertainment. Man, I cannot wait for the NBA season to start already.
All sources and information regarding draft picks and salaries were acquired from Basketball Reference and RealGM.
Photo acquired from Getty Images.