The Timberwolves Considered Offers From Three Teams Before Sending Jimmy Butler To Philadelphia

Jimmy Butler is a Philadelphia 76er. After his well-documented trade saga started to stretch into the season and impact the Minnesota Timberwolves’ ability to win basketball games, Tom Thibodeau and company decided to make a move. The trade comes on the heels of an 0-5 road swing for the Wolves, which chiefly get Dario Saric and Robert Covington back in the deal.

It’s not an earth-shattering haul back for Butler, but it does net Minnesota a pair of very solid basketball players, along with a veteran who can be waived in Jerryd Bayless and a future draft pick. It also wasn’t the only potential return that the Wolves were reportedly considering when they made the decision that something needed to happen.

According to a report by Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the decision makers in Minnesota had three potential deals on the table before they ultimately agreed on Butler moving to the City of Brotherly Love.

Once the Wolves finally came to the conclusion that a deal had to be made, owner Glen Taylor spoke personally with Sixers owner Josh Harris to push it through, sources said. The Wolves were in a difficult position from a bargaining perspective given all of the negativity, and losing, that had enveloped the franchise. The Wolves were eyeing three offers from different teams, but made the decision on Saturday to go forward with Philly’s package, sources said.

Outside of the package from the Sixers, we don’t know for sure the identity of the other two squads. We can probably make informed guesses, but according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, if one of the deals came from the longtime rumored destination of Miami, it was going to look radically different than originally thought.

Time will ultimately tell if the Wolves (and the Sixers, for that matter) made a good move, but at least they can take some solace in knowing they had a few options on the table before they made something happen.