Minnesota Timberwolves Roundup: On Jimmy Butler situation, Tom Thibodeau

Another week, another round of the Jimmy Butler trade saga for the Minnesota Timberwolves and their head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau.

We’re now two weeks removed from the reported trade request that Jimmy Butler made to the Minnesota Timberwolves. And there’s been little progress made towards a deal, it appears.

The latest news we have is that the Houston Rockets are apparently making a strong play for Butler, although they have a real dearth of assets when it comes to what the Wolves are reportedly asking for, namely young talent and attractive draft picks.

The Rockets don’t have much beyond Eric Gordon (expensive, injury-prone, about to leave his prime) and P.J. Tucker (a solid and useful role player that would fit the Wolves’ roster, but hardly a key trade chip) to offer. Their draft picks will be in the 20’s so, those aren’t all that attractive, either.

Plus, Houston would almost certainly need a third team involved to take on salary from the Wolves, which would most likely come in the form of Gorgui Dieng. Outside of Sacramento, it’s hard to figure where that third team might come from.

Nick Friedell of ESPN.com published a piece over the weekend that highlights the struggles that Thibodeau and his players are going through during this saga. It included a couple of interesting tidbits.

On Derrick Rose starting at shooting guard in Saturday’s preseason opener at Golden State:

"“I’m around them every day so I see how they practice,” Thibodeau said. “I see how they prepare, I see the film sessions, I see the walk-throughs and right now it’s about building habits. These are the guys that we have and then it’s getting ready to compete and I think they’ve done a great job with that. One preseason game you don’t have it all figured out, there’s still a ton of work to do and that’s all I want us focused on, what we have to do. The only thing we care about is doing what’s best for the Timberwolves.”"

On Thibodeau’s demeanor:

"Timberwolves staffers have noticed a calmer Thibodeau in recent days as trade talks continue to heat up. The fiery coach is noticeably slimmer heading into the season and has shown a much calmer demeanor than in years passed.“He’s been doing a good job of maintaining and doing the right things for the guys that are here,” Gibson said. “Tonight it was a testament to that. He was sitting down the whole game. Not really yelling at all. And he cracked a couple jokes with the refs so it was a good night.”"

Its true, Thibodeau sat for far more of Saturday’s game than he ever has in his two previous years on the Wolves’ bench. Sure, it’s preseason, and that could change with the flip of a switch, but notable all the same.

Also, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton delved into Butler’s trade value (ESPN Plus required), correctly surmising that his value depends entirely on situation.

For instance, the Heat are extermely interested, but almost certainly cannot re-sign him in free agency next summer and are therefore less likely to give up significant assets. Some of the teams that will have cap space, such as Brooklyn, New York, and the Clippers, likely aren’t playoff teams this season and aren’t as incentivized when they could simply attempt to sign him in free agency in nine months.

We’ll be on top of any new developments throughout the week here at Dunking With Wolves.