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The big news in the NBA today is Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler officially requesting a trade.
It appears as the relationship between the team and Butler has soured to the point of no repair so the star guard has formally asked for a trade according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Our own @ShamsCharania gives us the latest on Jimmy Butler requesting a trade from the #Timberwolves.
Charania reports Butler has given the Timberwolves a list of teams he’d be open to signing an extension with as he waits for the trade. As of now, this list hasn’t been revealed but we can still take a look at some potential teams Butler could go to.
Update: His list is the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and 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.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers will be a popular choice for many players as they have the cap space and they have LeBron James. When James moved to the Lakers he did so without any sort of guarantee another star would be joining him. We reported last month that Butler was open to joining LeBron in Los Angeles.
By acquiring Butler LeBron would be able to get his marquee second option and make the Lakers an even bigger threat in the top-heavy Western Conference.
A trade would likely require the Lakers to give up some young talent such as Josh Hart or Kyle Kuzma but we’re sure many Lakers fans would be willing to make it happen to land a talent like Butler.
2. Boston Celtics
The Celtics are a team that was ravaged by injuries last season but still managed to take the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are back and healthy this year meaning the Celtics are ready to make another run. Trading for Butler could form a big three of Irving, Hayward and Butler making them possibly the best team in the east.
While it’d be cool for Celtics fans to see Butler in their jersey, it’d be difficult move to pull off. We have heard rumors of Irving wanting to team up with Jimmy Butler so it seems like a move to the Celtics would be the way to do it.
However, there would be a lot of hurdles to jump through that would lead to this happening in Boston. According to Celtics Wire, it doesn’t sound like it’ll be all that easy to do. On the other hand, Boston does have the draft picks and young talent to offer to make a trade possible.
Piggybacking off Butler and Irving wanting to team up…..
3. New York Knicks
Although the Knicks do have Kristaps Porzingis, it hasn’t translated into success by any means. Adding some talent such as Jimmy Butler could easily jump start this team, especially considering the overall weakness of the Eastern Conference.
We know that Butler and Irving want to play together so by trading Butler to the Knicks now it could open up the possibility of Kyrie joining him there. According to J.R. Smith, there’s a high possibility of Irving signing with the Knicks.
Kyrie Irving is set to hit free agency after this season and he will likely become the most sought-after free agent. According to The Ringer, (via NBC Sports Boston’s A. Sherrod Blakely), the Knicks will be going after Irving hard.
Irving is the Knicks’ “no. 1 target,” Blakely said on the Bulls Talk Podcast. “I’ve spoken with people within [the Knicks] organization. They have made it absolutely crystal clear to me that, if they had their pick of guys that are going to be in the free-agent market [next] summer, Kyrie would be their first, second, third, and fourth choice. He is a guy they definitely want.”
A trade for Jimmy Butler could definitely jump start this.
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