Minnesota Timberwolves swingman Jimmy Butler has reportedly requested a trade ahead of the 2018-19 NBA season. On Wednesday, Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reported Butler has provided the T-Wolves with a list of the “one to three teams” with whom he’d be willing to sign a contract extension. Butler is among the possible stars for next year’s free agent class, which could include Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Kyrie Irving. Last season, Butler averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
Jimmy Butler has requested a trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski. Butler has given Minnesota a list of one-to-three teams with whom he's open to signing extension, in anticipation of trade.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 19, 2018
Things had been trending this way for a while now. The report that Butler was considering his future and seeking a meeting with team president Tom Thibodeau was an ominous one from Minnesota’s standpoint. The Timberwolves made Butler the centerpiece of their rebuild after a huge offseason trade last year, but barely squeaked into the playoffs and fell short of expectations.
Buttler has also made it know he has three preferred trade destination spots, but it could come down to two cities with multiple sports teams competing for his services.
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.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 19, 2018
The Lakers could be a dark horse in play. Butler wants to sign a long-term deal with a new team so that could make the Lakers a long shot but you can’t underestimate the negotiation skills of LeBron James and Magic Johnson.
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