The New York Knicks find themselves squarely in the mix as a potential trade partner for Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Jimmy Butler. But if recent statements stand true, there may be reason to believe the Knicks won’t make the plunge and give up assets to bring the shooting guard to town.
As ESPN’s Ian Begley reported, Knicks president Steve Mills made his feelings on this exact type of situation known earlier this week.
The Knicks have obviously set their plan in place for how they want to approach the future, but it’s unknown if this would change considering the caliber of player Butler is.
Likely Landing Spots for Jimmy Butler
After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed the list of teams Butler prefers to be traded to, it’s tough to gauge how the situation will play out.
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.
One key aspect worth considering here is the fact that a deal sending Butler to the Clippers would leave him in the Western Conference. There’s obvious appeal to moving Butler out of the conference for the Timberwolves, and most would consider the Nets and Knicks as teams in more of a rebuilding stage currently.
While any team aside from those seems somewhat unlikely to offer much up after knowing where Butler wants to go, there is one other to monitor. Earlier this offseason, it was rumored the guard could have interest in joining LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers.
As Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report revealed, Butler is “open” to the idea of it.
“Per a source close to Butler, he’s open to the idea of moving on from the Timberwolves to play alongside James in Los Angeles.”
Obviously, the Lakers aren’t on the current list, but if for some reason Butler hits free agency in the 2019 offseason, they could be a team to watch. Or, maybe the Lakers would take the risk and swing a deal with the hope of re-signing the star guard.
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Comments From Knicks President Point to Jimmy Butler Trade Being Unlikely