The basketball world got turned on its head on Wednesday afternoon, as a report indicated that Jimmy Butler’s time in Minnesota might be coming to an end sooner rather than later. Butler reportedly requested a trade during his meeting with the organization’s brass on Tuesday, and now, the everyone is wondering what will happen to one of the best two-way players on earth.
Butler reportedly gave the Timberwolves a list of 1-3 teams where he would prefer a trade, although Minnesota can do whatever it wants, as Butler does not have a no-trade clause. However, if the team does decide to honor Butler’s request, we now know which three teams he prefers to play for during the 2018-19 season and, possibly, beyond.
Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the list, which includes the Brooklyn Nets, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the New York Knicks.
Minnesota's Jimmy Butler has three preferred destinations for a trade, league sources tell ESPN: The Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks. Those three teams have max cap space to sign Butler as a free agent in July.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 19, 2018
None of these teams are considered to be title contenders right now, and while adding Butler wouldn’t single-handedly make them a threat to win it all, it would be a major step in the right direction. Butler would also make these three teams more appealing to free agents when the summer of 2019 rolls around, although that would mean he sticks around after this season. While the implication is he’d sign an extension with those teams, you never know what could happen after playing somewhere for a year.
A whole lot of NBA front offices are going to put together trade packages for Butler, because he is very good at basketball, and NBA teams generally like when players on their roster are very good at basketball. If he has his way, though, he’s ending up in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, or Manhattan.
