Jimmy Butler gave the Timberwolves a list of three preferred destinations, but the Clippers stand out as his first pick, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. L.A. may have more than $56MM in cap room next summer, and Butler likes the idea of teaming with other established stars.
The Clippers have very little salary committed beyond the upcoming season apart from Danilo Gallinari, who will make $22.6MM in 2019/20 on an expiring contract. Avery Bradley has a $12.96MM non-guaranteed deal for that same season, and the team will have to decide whether to extend a $7.875MM qualifying offer to Milos Teodosic. The only other significant salaries beyond this year are $8MM for Lou Williams and $6MM for Montrezl Harrell, whose deals both expire after the 2019/20 season.
The ideal scenario for the Clippers would be to send Gallinari to the Wolves as part of the trade for Butler, notes Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. L.A. also has significant expiring contracts to offer in Tobias Harris ($14.8MM) and Marcin Gortat ($15.57MM), along with a pair of 2018 first-round draft picks in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson.
A multi-player deal could ease the contract logjam the Clippers are carrying into camp. L.A. has 15 players with guaranteed money, along with a partially guaranteed salary for Tyrone Wallace and a non-guaranteed deal for Patrick Beverley. If a trade opens another roster spot or two, it could remove the incentive for a rumored deal that would send Beverley to the Suns.
There will be plenty of talent for the Clippers to target on next year’s free agent market, but Kawhi Leonard seems like the most natural fit. Leonard’s desire to play in L.A. reportedly led to his departure from San Antonio, and he and Butler could form a frightening tandem for the Clippers on both ends of the court.
Too bad the clips have the worst available trade package.
not true
Buy low time for the Clips.
Wellllllll JB has no say. And what does minny owe him?
He doesn’t have a say, but he does have leverage. He can send signals that he won’t sign an extension with a team trading for him. Unless the team is ready to win now, it could scare off suitors.
Just look at Kawhi, Paul George, Jimmy from Chicago, Kyrie sort of, you can still get good pieces in return. The longer Thibs waits, the less he’ll get in return since Jimmy is a rental. If Thibs would have traded him at the deadline last season, he could have gotten more. Chicago asked too much for Jimmy from Boston. Nobody wants to give up starters.
if he loves pairing with other stars….y is his top destination the clippers…..theirs no freaking stars their…Lmbo….LBJ I’d in LA…..Duhhhh!!!!!
The Clippers have a to of cap space next summer when a lot of stars will be free agents. The money. Plus Butler. Plus the greatest GM of all time. I’d guess they’d get really good really fast.
is**
Well Jimmy wants this, Jimmy wants that! What does Jerry West want?
gud question….
Could we possibly see Jimmy, Kyrie and Kahwi on the clips next year? Would be a huge ball buster for Bron Bron lol
Don’t matter even with that big 3 the clippers Still won’t win the Championship!
HaHa
Jerry West is an icon. He transformed Memphis and Golden State. Steve Balmer has to be one of the wealthiest owners in the NBA. CP3 forced West to dismantle the roster and start over, and that’s what he’s doing. West said he’ll do whatever it takes to get Kawhi. Getting Butler would be a good start.
Clearly Jimmy’s all about winning championships, so the Clippers are an obvious choice! LOL
If we take a close look the super-team era is coming to an end. The Warriors are the only so called superteam and even that’s debatable because Curry and Durant are the only true superstars on the team.
Lebron is going to play out his 4 years in LA with that current group he has and I think he’s fine with that because he might have figured out he’s best off playing with pieces which compliment him instead of teaming up with superstars. His best season with superstars was the 2013 season when he went 66-16 with Miami. He got that same record 2009 with no superstars.
Dude you forgot DMC, he is a superstar, at the very least the same level than Curry & KD, why always people forgets/disrespects DMC? I will never know, he was having an MVP season last year before injury, neither Curry or KD were, BTW don’t say they play together, because DMC played with AD, that again is way better than Curry/KD. Some respect please.
cesc, you can not put DMC, healthy or not, in the same conversation as Steph and KD. Cousins may put up gaudy stats, but the only winning team he has played for in his NBA was last year’s Pels, who actually had a better record without him in the lineup. Generally Superstars don’t make their teams worse!
Butler to Clips is interesting. Clips could give up Shai, Toby, and a first for him. Wolves won’t want Gallo though, he’s going to have to be an expiring deal trade next offseason.
Suns get:
Harris & Beverley
TWolves get:
TJ Warren, Jerome Robinson and a 1st rounder
Clippers get:
Butler and Troy Danowls (to make the $ work)