Getty Images Jimmy Butler argues a call during a first-round loss to the Rockets in the 2018 playoffs.
Will the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat consummate a Jimmy Butler trade? Whether or not they do could depend on Miami’s willingness to deal 25-year-old guard Josh Richardson.
And, according to ESPN’s Darren Wolfson, Heat president Pat Riley is not there yet.
Via 1500 ESPN:
My understanding is, from talking to numerous league officials, league sources, front-office folks, [and] a couple of coaching sources, that the Timberwolves have all the parameters of the deals that they can make. So it’s on the Wolves at some point here to say yes. Now, do they wait a little bit longer just to see if some team adds some player in, like Miami? Miami is not willing to move Josh Richardson. But in the end, do they offer Josh Richardson?
Some league people thought, yeah, at the end, Pat Riley would make him available when you have the chance to acquire a star like Jimmy Butler. But so far, as of October 2, no sense whatsoever that Miami is making Josh Richardson available.
Wolfson and Get More Sports’ Chris Sheridan also indicated that Miami has also refused to include young big man Bam Adebayo in a potential deal.
Is Josh Richardson the Next Jimmy Butler?
Richardson’s 2017-18 numbers won’t set the world on fire, but he leapt into the elite tier of lockdown wing defenders while greatly upping his offensive efficiency. The 6’6″ Richardson averaged 12.9 points on a 55.1 true shooting percentage to go with 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game last season.
Those numbers don’t exactly spell future superstar, but they’re surprisingly similar to those of Butler at the same age and level of NBA experience.
This may change my mind.
Age-24 season (3rd for both): t.co/NJVyslNxxf
Jimmy Butler: 13.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 40/28/77 splits.
Josh Richardson: 12.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 45/38/88 splits.
Butler averaged 5.5 more minutes.
Maybe this is why the Heat are reluctant.
Butler enjoyed a breakout season the following year, averaging 20 points per game on a 58.3 true shooting percentage and pitching in 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 steals to make his first All-Star team.
Not only is Richardson a promising young player with a high floor, but the Heat have him signed for relatively cheap — the former second-round pick will make roughly $31 million across the next three years, and he has a player option worth $11.6 million for the 2021-22 season.
Between Richardon’s age and contract and the deal that Miami would have to offer to keep Butler beyond 2018-19, it’s no wonder they’re so reluctant to part with their wing.