Jimmy Butler is going to be a free agent in the summer of 2019, and that means that the Minnesota Timberwolves should at least consider any trade options in the meantime.
Jimmy Butler’s trade value will probably be it’s highest during the offseason, so it would be foolish for the Wolves to not consider all of their options.
We aren’t 100 percent sure if Jimmy Butler is going to commit to playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves beyond 2018-19. Plus, you have to consider what he’d do if Minnesota chose to fire Tom Thibodeau either this or next offseason.
If that’s a real possibility, the Wolves should trade him now for something in return instead of just letting him walk. There’s a lot of “what ifs” that go into this, but the main storyline to stick to is the idea that Butler could walk away for nothing.
There was an interesting article that came out in the Chicago Sun Times about Butler in which he made comments saying that he’s questioned the winning mentality of the players on the Wolves.
"“But sometimes I just look around, and I don’t understand how or why you all don’t love to get better the way that I do.’’"
Throughout the article, Butler stuck to the main point that he doesn’t understand why younger players continue to not want to win as much as he does.
"“Young guys in this league don’t understand urgency,’’ Butler said. “These guys don’t understand that you never know what the league brings, the times may bring. I think they do understand what it takes to win here, and they continue to learn that."
If Butler thinks that he can’t win here or that he’s going to walk in 2019, Minnesota would be wise to trade him now rather than at the trade deadline. Or even worse, waiting too long that you lose him for nothing. These are trade ideas that could get the ball rolling in the right direction for both franchises.