Jimmy Butler Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Wolves Owner Wants Jimmy Butler Deal Done Soon

September 23rd, 2018 at 9:23am CST by Arthur Hill

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has taken control of the Jimmy Butler trade talks and wants to get a deal completed as soon as possible, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Tom Thibodeau, who serves as president of basketball operations as well as coach, had been objecting to a deal, hoping to hold onto the veteran forward for another season. However, Taylor wants the process to end before training camp starts Tuesday and has mandated that a deal get done quickly.

Wojnarowski cautions that no team has entered serious discussion with the Wolves yet, but he identifies the Nets, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Heat, Sixers and Trail Blazers as franchises that have shown interest.

Taylor plans to review the offers over the next two days, then present the best ones to Butler and his agent, Bernie Lee, to see which teams Butler would be willing to sign a five-year extension with. That information will be used to help finalize a deal, although Wojnarowski adds that some teams would be willing to trade for Butler with no guarantee of an extension .

GM Scott Layden may have jeopardized his job by refusing to talk to other teams about a Butler deal, according to Wojnarowski. Taylor has demanded that Layden start aggressively pursuing a trade, even to the point of contacting rival GMs. Taylor has been considering changes in the front office for months and may re-evaluate Layden’s role once the Butler deal is done.

Jimmy Butler To Skip Media Day, Start Of Training Camp

September 22nd, 2018 at 11:51am CST by marksuleymanov

Timberwolves All-Star Jimmy Butler has been granted permission to skip the team’s media day this coming Monday, sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Minnesota has also been informed that Butler will not be available for on-court activities at the start of training camp, Krawczynski adds.

This is the latest development in the Butler saga after he requested a trade earlier this week. After meeting with head coach Tom Thibodeau, Butler reportedly requested a trade and granted a list of three teams — the Knicks, Nets and Clippers — to whom he’d prefer to be dealt. The Clippers are reportedly Butler’s top choice.

Reports suggested Thibodeau was against the idea of trading Butler as Minnesota looks to contend for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. However, word broke yesterday that Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor informed owners and GMs at the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings that Butler is available. Taylor also told interested teams to contact him directly to discuss a Butler deal if necessary.

“The owner’s trading him,” a Board of Governors attendee told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “That was made clear. It’s just a matter of when.”

Butler, 29, spent his first six seasons with the Bulls before he was traded to the Timberwolves last summer. The swingman averaged 22.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.9 APG as he earned All-Star and All-NBA Third Team honors while helping to snap Minnesota’s 13-year playoff drought last season.

The trade demand reportedly stems from contractual matters as Butler seeks to sign a long-term pact. The three teams on his preferred destinations list all have assets and cap flexibility to acquire and sign him long-term. At this point, as Butler prepares to sit out the start of training camp, the chances that his Timberwolves run lasts only one season appears likely.

Celtics Notes: Irving, Horford, Butler, Bird

September 22nd, 2018 at 10:19am CST by marksuleymanov

Kyrie Irving is energized as the Celtics prepare for training camp and the preseason. After dealing with a nagging knee injury that ultimately cost him the final month of last season and the playoffs, Irving is ready to prove himself, Jackie MacMullan of ESPN writes.

“I’m moving completely differently,” Irving said. “I’ve worked on my strength and have a heightened awareness of what my body needs on a day-to-day basis. I spent all summer trying get my left leg to catch up with my right. And it’s there.”

Not only will the upcoming season be important for the Celtics — who chase another deep postseason run — it will be key for Irving as enters free agency next summer. Irving will be one of the most sought-after free agents available and a strong, healthy 2018/19 in Beantown will mean a heftier contract. However, interested teams should take note of how Irving worded his answer to why he hasn’t committed long-term to Boston.

“Who wouldn’t be a part of this?” Irving said. “Who wouldn’t want to be a part of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and Al Horford and Gordon Hayward? People keep saying, ‘Why won’t he commit to Boston?’ Well, there are financial implications involved.”

Check out more Celtics note below:

The Knicks have long been rumored as a potential destination for Irving next summer as the team will have the cap space to land at least one top free agent — possibly two. However, Irving has not spoken to Jimmy Butler — another potential Knicks target next summer — since 2016, which decreases the chances of New York landing both, SNY’s Adam Zagoria writes.
Al Horford is coming off a productive season with the Celtics, which leads to the question of what the veteran center can contribute in his third year with the team. A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston examines how Horford will impact Boston on the court this season.
Prior to his arrest for alleged domestic assault and kidnapping of his girlfriend, Celtics’ guard Jabari Bird was being treated for ’emotional issues,’ per Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald. Sources tell Bulpett that this was an “out of character” occurrence for Bird, who had been experiencing “panic attacks” in the weeks before the incident. The Celtics were aware that Bird was undergoing treatment.

Timberwolves Owner: Jimmy Butler Is Available

September 21st, 2018 at 6:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Defying his front office executives, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is telling other owners and GMs at the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings that Jimmy Butler is available and they can make trade inquiries directly to him, if necessary, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Taylor’s willingness to deal the disgruntled swingman, who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, flies in the face of an earlier report by Wojnarowski on Friday that the Timberwolves were rebuffing calls on Butler’s availability.

This leads to speculation that a showdown is looming between Taylor and Tom Thibodeau, the Wolves’ president of basketball operations and head coach, Wojnarowski notes. GM Scott Layden reports to Thidobeau and is the usual point person on trade talks.

Thibodeau has no desire to deal Butler in any scenario that would set back the team’s chances of making the playoffs again and advancing deeper into the postseason.

In contrast, it appears that Taylor’s mind is made up that Butler must go.

“The owner’s trading him,” a Board of Governors attendee told Wojnarowski. “That was made clear. It’s just a matter of when.”

There is a good possibility that Butler will not report to camp when it opens next week, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Krawczynski details how the Butler-Thibodeau relationship deteriorated over the past year.

Thibodeau is willing to let any drama between Butler and the team’s other two stars, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, play out in training camp and into the regular season. Taylor, on the other hand, does not want to go through a potentially dysfunctional season and see the franchise’s image tarnished, Wojnarowski continues. The franchise’s business operations have successful marketed the team’s stars and don’t want that campaign completely ruined, Wojnarowski adds.

Taylor has gotten involved in trading high-profile players in the past, including Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love.

Jimmy Butler Rumors: Dieng, Clippers, Bucks, More

September 21st, 2018 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

The early trade market for Jimmy Butler is “confused and cool” as teams contemplate the risk of trading for the All-Star wing, according to Zach Lowe, who takes a deep dive into the Butler situation his his latest piece for ESPN.com. The 29-year-old’s reported desire for a five-year contract that could be worth in the neighborhood of $190MM may make some potential suitors back off, though those teams could also be posturing in the early going, Lowe notes.

One of the most interesting tidbits that Lowe passes along in his article is on the Timberwolves‘ desire to include Gorgui Dieng in a deal if they decide to move Butler. Lowe is skeptical that any prospective trade partners will be eager to take on Dieng, who still has three years and over $48MM left on his contract.

Here’s more from Lowe and others on Butler and the Wolves:

It would be “shocking” if the Clippers were willing to offer rookie guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in any package for Butler, sources tell Lowe. In fact, there has been no indication that the Clips haven’t acted aggressively – or much at all – on Butler so far.
The Bucks placed a courtesy call to the Timberwolves asking to be kept in the loop if the team gets serious about moving Butler. Still, Lowe doesn’t view Milwaukee as a fit, observing that Khris Middleton would probably have to be included. The Bucks would likely have a better chance next summer to re-sign Middleton than Butler.
After reporting earlier today that the Timberwolves are telling teams Butler’s not available, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has updated his story to suggest that opposing clubs believe the “fastest avenue” to negotiating a trade is to engage owner Glen Taylor, rather than Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau is less inclined to part with Butler, but Taylor has stepped in on this sort of matter in the past, overseeing trades involving Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love.
In the wake of Butler’s trade request, initial reports suggested his desire to leave Minnesota was motivated more by “contractual matters” than any discord with Karl-Anthony Towns or Andrew Wiggins. A source in Butler’s camp who spoke to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times disputes that notion, suggesting it was “manufactured” by “ownership mouthpieces” to make Butler look bad. “According to the source, this is about a philosophy in making an impact in the Western Conference,” Cowley writes. “In Butler’s mind you can’t run down a dynasty like Golden State when two of the so-called dogs in the pack are in fact kittens.” Presumably, that’s a reference to Towns and Wiggins.

Timberwolves Rebuffing Inquiries On Jimmy Butler

September 21st, 2018 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Despite Jimmy Butler having requested a trade out of Minnesota, the Timberwolves continue to show no desire to trade their All-NBA wing. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports, rival executives who have called the Wolves’ front office to inquire on Butler are being told that Minnesota views him as an elite player and plans to keep him.

Since word of Butler’s trade request broke, reports have repeatedly suggested that head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau has shown little to no interest in moving his star swingman. While it’s possible that the Timberwolves’ stance is a negotiating tactic to regain some leverage, Wojnarowski observes that Minnesota hasn’t even shown interest in hearing what prospective trade partners would hypothetically offer for Butler.

Butler reportedly prefers to be dealt to the Clippers, Knicks, or Nets, with Wojnarowski suggesting that the four-time All-Star has prioritized the Clips and Knicks over Brooklyn. Still, there are number of teams around the NBA with interest, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, who tweets that not all of those clubs would need assurances that the 29-year-old would sign long-term. Still, they won’t get a chance to put an offer on the table for Butler at all as long as Thibodeau and the Wolves insist they’re hanging onto him.

If the Timberwolves are serious about keeping Butler, it will be fascinating to see how it affects their extension talks with Karl-Anthony Towns. As Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN said on a podcast this week that Towns wants the Wolves to “figure out” the Butler situation before committing to a huge new deal.

“I’m led to believe that a big reason why he hasn’t signed it is that he – through his agent, Leon Rose – went to the Wolves and said, ‘Hey, I can’t coexist with Jimmy. Do something about it,'” Wolfson said. “So, figure out the Jimmy situation. On top of that – whether it’s right or wrong – this is the way he feels, that it’s been Jimmy and Thibs ganging up on him.”

While Thibodeau is adamantly opposed to trading Butler, team owner Glen Taylor intends to be involved in the decision-making process along with Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden, league sources tell Wojnarowski. It remains to be seen if Taylor will have a different view on how to handle Butler’s trade request.

Tom Thibodeau Not Interested In Rebuilding

September 20th, 2018 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite the fact that Jimmy Butler seeking a trade out of Minnesota, head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau is reportedly averse to the idea of dealing his star swingman, preferring to keep Butler around and push for the playoffs again in 2018/19. As Sean Deveney of The Sporting News reports, citing multiple league sources, Thibodeau is even less inclined to move Butler in exchange for “young, rebuilding-type pieces.”

According to Deveney, Thibodeau initially made the move from Chicago to Minnesota because he thought that the Timberwolves were on the path to contention, and last summer’s acquisition of Butler was meant to accelerate that process. Dealing Butler for a package of young players and/or picks would mean taking a step back, and Thibodeau has “zero interest” in that scenario, Deveney notes.

“No one expects Tom to coach a 25-win or even 35-win team,” one front-office executive told Deveney. “Even if he has to agree to dissolve the contract, they’d do that before they go and trade Butler for draft picks.”

While it may be an exaggeration to suggest that Thibodeau would quit before he trades Butler for draft picks, it will be interesting to see whether he and owner Glen Taylor are on the same page when it comes to the All-NBA wing. While Taylor was certainly pleased that the Wolves’ playoff drought ended this past spring, he – like Thibodeau – likely wants to see a deeper postseason run next time around.

The middle ground between keeping Butler and moving him for a package of young players and picks would be to take the route the Spurs did with Kawhi Leonard, attempting to secure a return highlighted by win-now pieces. Of the three teams on Butler’s wish list, the Clippers may be best equipped to offer such a package, but Minnesota figures to expand its list of possible trade partners beyond just the Clippers, Knicks, and Nets.

As Deveney outlines, Minnesota plans to make Butler available to “any team.” The Heat have been cited as one club that could be in the mix, and rival executives believe the Suns and Nuggets will be among the others with interest, according to Deveney. As we’ve seen with Leonard and Paul George, high-profile trade candidates don’t always end up where we expect, so it’s worth keeping an eye on those other teams like Phoenix and Denver.

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.