The Minnesota Timberwolves appear determined to move on from Jimmy Butler as soon as possible.
Despite head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau reportedly rebuffing trade offers for the star shooting guard, owner Glen Taylor has told inquiring teams that Butler is very much available, according to ESPN.
The Timberwolves hold their first practice of training camp on Tuesday, leaving a short window for the franchise to complete a deal for Butler before they begin their preparations for the season.
There has been dysfunction within the team due to the deteriorating relationship between Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. While Butler is a four-time All-Star, Minnesota is building the franchise on Towns, who is seven years younger and on the rise.
On Saturday, the Timberwolves locked up the All-Star centre to a five-year, $190 million super-max extension, making it evident which star the team will commit to for the foreseeable future.
While Thibodeau wants to keep Butler around, with the two having a relationship that dates back to their time together in Chicago, many in the Timberwolves organisation would reportedly rather see Butler go.
In requesting a trade, Butler reportedly gave Minnesota a list of teams that he would prefer, which includes the Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. All three teams are capable of creating two max-contract slots next summer, when stars like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins would hit free agency.
Butler can sign a five-year, $190 million extension with any team that trades for him, or ink a four-year, $141 million deal as a free agent next offseason. Considering the max contract Butler is seeking and his age (29), teams may hesitate to offer the Timberwolves multiple valuable assets.
Regardless, Butler’s exit seems all but inevitable, with Taylor intent to oversee a trade of another star, as he did when Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love left Minnesota.
In waiting until just before training camp to request a trade, Butler has hampered the Timberwolves’ leverage.