The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to weigh their options when it comes to a Jimmy Butler trade, and the latest report floats the idea of a three-team deal that could come to fruition.
There were surprisingly few rumors that trickled out throughout the day on Monday regarding the ongoing Minnesota Timberwolves-Jimmy Butler saga.
It was media day, of course, so Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden were at least somewhat preoccupied with that circus, but outside of, at least by our count, at least 13 teams that had expressed interest in trading for Butler as of Sunday, and not much else came out on Monday.
Until late in the day, that is, when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski to to work.
First, he passed along that Thibodeau made a final plea to Butler to join practice on Tuesday and make things work.
Minnesota Timberwolves President/Coach Tom Thibodeau met with All-Star forward Jimmy Butler on Monday and tried to convince him to eventually rejoin the team in the preseason, league sources tell ESPN. Butler is sitting out, awaiting the organization to honor his trade request.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 25, 2018
Yikes. Talk about an awkward practice, had Butler taken him up on it.
Then, Wojnarowski reported that the Sacramento Kings were making it known to teams around the league that they were prepared desperate to use they’re league-leading $11 million in cap space to facilitate a deal, provided they received an asset or two in return.
Here’s what Woj said, in part:
"To facilitate a Butler trade, the sort of broader deal necessary to meet the financial needs of Minnesota and Butler’s future team, circumstances will necessitate bringing the Sacramento Kings into the process. If the Timberwolves remain intent on unloading backup center Gorgui Dieng and the three years and $48 million left on his contract, they’ll need the Kings……Sacramento has been aggressive in courting Minnesota and several of Butler’s trade suitors — offering to use its space as a landing spot for bloated contracts. The Kings are without their first-round draft pick in 2019, and uniquely positioned to leverage that cap space into, at a minimum, a future first-round pick and maybe more as part of a Butler blockbuster. The Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers and Miami Heat all have contracts that they’d love to unload, and a Butler deal could mean that they deliver Sacramento a pick and cash to take on a veteran player.Assistant GM Brandon Williams has informed teams that the Kings aren’t adverse to parking contracts that extend into the 2019-20 season, including Dieng…"
There are a couple of interesting things here. First, the Wolves apparently “remain intent” on getting rid of Gorgui Dieng and his contract. It isn’t remarkable, necessarily, as Dieng’s deal is indeed the worst on the team, but he is still a viable backup big man on a playoff team and they don’t exactly have tons of depth behind Karl-Anthony Towns at center, especially given Justin Patton’s latest injury.
(Side note: Joakim Noah is about to clear waivers, so you can bet that if Dieng is moved this week then Noah will be in a Wolves uniform shortly thereafter.)
Second, this only seems like a good idea if the money that the Wolves take back — and if they unload both Dieng and Butler than you better believe they’ll be taking on quite a bit — is for good players on short deals. A lot to ask for, to be sure.
At any rate, it’s positive that there has been some movement, although Woj goes on in his article to suggest that there are still inconsistencies between what Thibodeau, Layden, and owner Glen Taylor are telling other teams — again, not great.
Tuesday would seem to be the most likely day for a deal so that everyone can move on. We will see what the day brings…