Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Notes: Porzingis, Fizdale, Butler, Noah

September 20th, 2018 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

During a meeting with the media today, Knicks GM Scott Perry declined to comment on his strategy for negotiating an extension with Kristaps Porzingis , tweets Ian Begley of ESPN. Porzingis is eligible for a five-year, $157MM extension now, but New York could save about $10MM in cap space by waiting to get the deal done next summer. That money could prove to be important for a team that plans to be a major player in the 2019 free agent market.

Team president Steve Mills told the media that Porzingis knows he’s a cornerstone of the franchise, regardless of when extension talks are held, Begley notes. Porzingis, who suffered a torn ACL in February, is meeting with team doctors this week to discuss a realistic timetable for his return.

There’s more today out of New York:

Despite the injury to Porzingis and a lackluster summer of free agency, the Knicks plan to remain as competitive as possible this year, coach David Fizdale added (Twitter link). He said the first thing Perry and Mills told him in his interview is that they would never intentionally tank a season.
When asked about a possible trade for Jimmy Butler, Mills reiterated his commitment to not skipping steps in the development process (Twitter link). That means the Knicks aren’t likely to pull the trigger on a big deal now when they have the cap room to offer a max contract next summer. Butler included the Knicks on the list of preferred locations he gave to the Timberwolves.
Perry said the front office is hoping to reach a “resolution” soon with veteran center Joakim Noah, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. The team is talking to Noah’s representatives in hopes of working out a deal to part ways. The Knicks reportedly plan to use the stretch provision on the final year of Noah’s contract if trade or buyout talks prove unsuccessful.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

September 19th, 2018 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler wants to sign a five-year maximum deal with a new team next year, which is why he wants out of Minnesota this season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Butler, who is expected to opt out of his current contract next summer, is limited to four years and about $140MM if he changes teams in free agency. However, his Bird rights will transfer in any trade, so if a team deals for him, it can make a five-year offer in the neighborhood of $190MM.

Butler was hoping for a larger extension offer from the Wolves than the four-year, $100MM+ deal he turned down in July, Charania adds. However, Minnesota was prohibited by CBA rules from offering more than that amount this offseason unless the team renegotiated Butler’s contract, which would require cap room.

Executives from other teams believe a Butler trade will happen at some point this season, but it’s not clear where he will go or when it might happen. Butler identified the Knicks, Nets and Clippers as his preferred locations when making his trade request, but the Wolves are under no obligation to grant his wishes. Another report tonight identified the Clippers as the early front-runner.

Brooklyn and L.A. seem motivated to try to land Butler, Charania adds, while New York is reluctant to part with draft picks and young players. The Celtics have the assets to make a play for Butler, but don’t need him with Gordon Hayward‘s return from ankle surgery. Charania suggests the Sixers may also check into Butler’s price tag.

There’s more to pass along as teams line up for a shot at Butler:

Butler didn’t put the Lakers on his list, reportedly because he isn’t interested in a complementary role to LeBron James, but even if he wanted to go there the team would have difficulty putting together an offer for the next three months, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. L.A.’s roster is filled with newly signed free agents who aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15. The team would need to send out at least $16MM to match salaries and has a limited pool of players to pick from. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram would give them a combined $13.2MM, but the Lakers aren’t likely to part with two young stars when they can offer a max deal next summer. They could have kept Luol Deng for salary matching purposes, but Pincus states that Butler was never a priority for the organization.
The Nets have young talent, a couple of large expiring contracts and their first-round pick for the first time since 2013, notes Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Caris LeVert is considered a core piece of the organization, but Brooklyn may be willing to part with the versatile guard for a player like Butler. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is coming off his best NBA season, but will be eligible for restricted free agency next summer. Impending free agents Kenneth Faried ($13.76 million) and DeMarre Carroll ($15.4 million) could both be useful to match salaries.
The Heat would love to acquire Butler, but may not have the assets to make a deal work, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson and Hassan Whiteside could all be traded one-for-one for Butler, adds Anthony Chiang of The Herald, but he states that Minnesota will be looking for younger talent such as Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Bam Adebayo.
Oddsmaker Bovada lists the Timberwolves as 3/2 favorites to still have Butler when the season starts, relays Sean Highkin of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The Sixers are next in line at 11/4, followed by the Knicks at 15/4, the Lakers at 5/1 and the Nets and Celtics each at 15/2.

Clippers Reportedly Jimmy Butler’s Top Choice

September 19th, 2018 at 7:32pm CST by Arthur Hill

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.

Pat Zipfel Rejoining Timberwolves

September 19th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Pat Zipfel, who had been the head coach at Division II school Mansfield, has accepted a role with the Timberwolves, per Andy Malnoske of NBC Elmira (Twitter link). Previously an assistant coach for the Rockets and Timberwolves, Zipfel also has served as an advance scout for multiple NBA teams. It’s unclear what his new title in Minnesota will be.
In case you missed the biggest news out of the Northwest today, Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Timberwolves. Here are the latest rumors on Butler.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

September 19th, 2018 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

With training camps around the corner, the NBA rumor mill has sprung back into action today, as word broke that four-time All-Star Jimmy Butler is seeking a trade out of Minnesota. Butler even has a few specific destinations in mind, having reportedly told the Timberwolves that he’d have interest in being dealt to the Nets, Knicks, or Clippers.

In his full report on the Butler situation, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski provides several more tidbits on the All-NBA wing, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights…

Butler’s list of preferred landing spots could expand based upon the willingness of the Timberwolves and rival teams to negotiate a deal, league sources tell Wojnarowski.
For now, Tom Thibodeau and the Timberwolves have little interest in dealing Butler, preferring to keep him and attempt to make a deeper playoff run in 2018/19, says Wojnarowski. Thibodeau’s “tenuous” status with team owner Glen Taylor may play a part in that stance, according to Woj, who notes that it would be tough for Minnesota not to take a step backward in the short term by trading Butler.
Butler is into the idea of playing a central role for a big-market club, per Wojnarowski. The Lakers are a less appealing option now that LeBron James is on the roster, since Butler would be playing second fiddle there.
The Clippers, Nets, and Knicks have varying levels of interest in Butler, each “prioritizing him in different ways,” writes Wojnarowski. All three teams will have substantial cap room next summer, so acquiring Butler (who will have a $30MM+ cap hold) could hinder their ability to pursue other stars.
According to Wojnarowski, the Heat are another team with interest in Butler. Going after him in free agency likely won’t be an option for Miami, since the club doesn’t project to have cap space in 2019.
While initial reports suggested that there were teams with whom Butler would be willing to sign an extension, Wojnarowski clarifies that the former Bull wants to be sent to a team that would plan on re-signing him to a five-year max contract as a free agent in 2019. Such a deal is currently projected to be worth nearly $190MM — it remains to be seen if any team would make such a huge investment in a player who will be 30 years old when he reaches free agency.

Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler Requests Trade

September 19th, 2018 at 1:25pm CST by Luke Adams

1:25pm: The Nets, Knicks, and Clippers are Butler’s three preferred destinations, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

12:48pm: Timberwolves All-NBA swingman Jimmy Butler has requested a trade, league sources tell Jon Krawcznyski and Shams Charania of The Athletic. According to the duo, Butler has given Minnesota a list of one to three teams with which he’d be open to signing a long-term extension, informing the Wolves that he doesn’t intend to sign a new deal with the team next summer.

Butler, who spent the first six years of his NBA career with the Bulls, was traded to the Timberwolves during the 2017 offseason and helped the club snap its 13-year postseason drought in the spring. Despite being limited to 59 games due to injuries, Butler earned All-Star and All-NBA Third Team nods in 2017/18, averaging 22.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.9 APG, and 2.0 SPG while playing strong perimeter defense.

Although Butler enjoyed a strong individual season and the Wolves took strides toward title contention, there were whispers throughout the year about tension among the club’s stars. A report in July suggested that Butler was “all but fed up with the nonchalant attitude of his younger teammates,” including Karl-Anthony Towns. Earlier this week, we heard that Towns may be postponing his contract extension decision until he sees what happens with Butler.

Still, Krawcyznki hears that possible issues with Towns and Andrew Wiggins have “very little, if anything,” to do with Butler’s trade request. It’s more to do with contractual matters, Krawczynski adds (via Twitter).

Butler is technically under contract for two more years, but he’ll have an opportunity to hit the open market in 2019 by turning down his player option. If the Wolves expect him to jump ship at that point – and there have been rumors that he’s interested in playing alongside Kyrie Irving – then it makes sense to gauge the trade market for him before then. However, head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau has been “resistant” to the idea of moving his star wing, tweets Krawczynski.

Butler, who informed the Wolves of his stance during a meeting on Tuesday to discuss his future, already turned down a contract extension offer from the team earlier this offseason. As we noted at the time, Minnesota is limited to offering four new years worth just over $100MM at this point — the club could go much higher with its offer in free agency, when Butler would be eligible for a five-year contract worth up to a projected $190MM. If he signs with a new club, Butler would be limited to approximately $141MM over five years.

If Butler is traded, his Bird rights would be traded along with him, so his new team would gain the ability to offer a five-year contract worth an estimated $190MM. Those may be the “contractual matters” Krawczynski is alluding to. It’s also possible Butler would be more willing to consider an extension prior to free agency if he joins a team on his wish list. CBA restrictions would prevent him from being eligible for that four-year, $100MM+ extension for six months after being traded though.

From the Timberwolves’ perspective, moving on from Butler may alleviate some long-term cap concerns, as carrying maximum contracts for Wiggins, Towns, and Butler beginning in 2019/20 might not have viable. Of course, it won’t be easy for Minnesota to recoup fair value for its four-time All-Star now that his trade request has been leaked publicly.

As for the teams that may be of interest to Butler, it’s safe to say that his short list probably includes at least one or two big-market clubs. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) hears from a source that Butler is likely interested in the Knicks. A report last month indicated that Butler would consider the Lakers in free agency.

However, Knicks president Steve Mills just talked about not wanting to surrender big trade packages for players that may be available in free agency, and the Lakers don’t really have the salaries necessary to make a Butler deal work at this point. The Lakers – and many more teams around the NBA – will be in a better position to make deals when various trade restrictions lift after December 15.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Wolves’ Justin Patton Undergoes Foot Surgery

September 18th, 2018 at 3:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

SEPTEMBER 18, 3:07pm: Patton has undergone successful surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, the Timberwolves announced today in a press release.

SEPTEMBER 15, 5:57pm: Patton is scheduled to undergo surgery early this week, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

SEPTEMBER 15, 5:05pm: Justin Patton‘s bad luck with injuries hasn’t stopped, according to Jace Frederick of The St. Paul Pioneer Press, who reports that the second-year center broke a bone in his right foot this week.

The 16th player taken in the 2017 draft, Patton missed virtually his entire rookie season after breaking the fifth metatarsal in his left foot last summer. He played just one game for Minnesota, seeing four minutes of action. When he was healthy enough to play, the organization kept him in the G League, where he averaged 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 38 games for the Iowa Wolves.

Doctors performed a second surgery on Patton’s left foot in April, Frederick notes, to “encourage further healing of a prior metatarsal fracture.” The Timberwolves had been optimistic about Patton’s progress and were hoping to have him cleared for contact in time for training camp.

The latest injury could complicate the Wolves’ thinking on the third-year option for Patton, which must be picked up by October 31. Teams rarely give up on players that quickly, but serious injuries to both feet in two seasons could cause Minnesota think twice about committing a roster spot for Patton for another year.

Latest On Jimmy Butler

September 18th, 2018 at 11:47am CST by Luke Adams

11:47am: Thibodeau is traveling to Los Angeles today to meet with Butler, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who says that the meeting was originally scheduled to take place in Minnesota. That changed within the last 24 hours, says Woj.

10:58am: A report last week indicated that Jimmy Butler would meet with the Timberwolves on Monday to discuss his future with the club, but Butler tweeted last night that the meeting will actually take place on Tuesday.

The meeting, which will reportedly include head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau, as well as general manager Scott Layden, may go a long way toward determining how much longer Butler will remain a Timberwolf. The All-NBA swingman remains under contract with Minnesota for another season, but a trade prior to his 2019 free agency isn’t entirely out of the question.

According to NBA.com’s David Aldridge, Butler has “serious questions about the direction of the franchise,” but he’s willing to hear out team management and “isn’t dead set” on asking to be traded. If he remains in Minnesota for the 2018/19 season, the 29-year-old would be eligible for a more lucrative contract from the Wolves than from any other team.

It will be fascinating to see what comes of today’s meeting between Butler and the Wolves, since it could have a substantial impact on the future of the organization. In his first year in Minnesota, Butler was arguably the team’s best player and helped snap the Wolves’ 13-year postseason drought.

However, he also reportedly bumped heads with some of the club’s youngsters – as he did during his time with the Bulls – and at least one report has suggested that Karl-Anthony Towns‘ extension decision may hinge at least in part on what happens with Butler.

Nets, Knicks Could Make Bids For Butler

September 17th, 2018 at 9:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets, Knicks, Nuggets, Sixers and Lakers are potential landing spots for Jimmy Butler if the Timberwolves decide to trade him before he hits free agency next summer, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype opines. Butler is reportedly meeting with Minnesota’s brass on Monday to discuss his future with the organization. The Nets could offer a package featuring the Nuggets’ top-12 protected 2019 first-round pick, as well as defensive-minded wing Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, while Denver could make either Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Michael Porter Jr. the centerpiece in a deal for the All-Star wing, Urbina adds.

Shooting guard Darius Johnson-Odom has remained in Minnesota to work out following his recent tryout with the Timberwolves, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. He could still be added to the training camp roster, Wolfson adds.

Towns Delaying Extension Because Of Butler?

September 17th, 2018 at 11:35am CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler‘s meeting today with the Timberwolves will determine how much longer he stays in Minnesota, Shams Charania of The Athletic says in a new video (Twitter link). Charania also drops the bombshell that center Karl-Anthony Towns refuses to sign his rookie contract extension until he knows whether Butler will be sticking around.

Problems between Butler and Towns have been reported before, but mostly in behind-the-scenes whispers, usually followed by denials from team officials. Charania’s report is the latest evidence that Towns and Butler appear unable to co-exist over the long term.

“I’m told there won’t be any decision on that until this Jimmy Butler situation resolves itself,” Charania said of Towns’ extension. The 22-year-old center has until until mid-October to accept the five-year, maximum-salary deal.

Charania adds that Wolves management will definitely side with Towns if it comes down to a choice between the two players because Towns’ youth and potential make him too valuable to trade away. He adds that Butler’s relationships with his younger teammates will be among the issues to be discussed at today’s meeting.

Butler reportedly requested the session with coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden to clarify his future with the organization. He is expected to opt out of a $19.84MM salary and become a free agent next summer, but there’s a chance that Minnesota will trade him before that happens if the front office determines it’s a situation that cannot be salvaged.