Dunking With Wolves
Fansided

Minnesota Timberwolves: Josh Richardson for Jimmy Butler? Final trade ideas with the Miami Heat

By Trey Flynn

MIAMI, FL - APRIL 3: Hassan Whiteside #21 and Josh Richardson #0 of the Miami Heat during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 3, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - APRIL 3: Hassan Whiteside #21 and Josh Richardson #0 of the Miami Heat during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on April 3, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
Minnesota Timberwolves, Jimmy Butler
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 23: Jimmy Butler. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

With a minor Woj bomb early Thursday in the AM about Jimmy Butler’s future with the Minnesota franchise, we can only assume that something is bound to happen in the next day or so … or month … or year.

While we’ve all heard rumors of the Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers being shot down with their trade offers for Jimmy Butler (or vice-versa), the Minnesota Timberwolves seem to have a consistent and ongoing conversation with the Miami Heat.

The first question is why?

Well it seems that Minnesota’s head coach Tom Thibodeau wants an asset that is young and Jimmy Butler-esque and that player could be Josh Richardson.

Every report that is coming out from the Miami/Minnesota talks seems to center this electric 25-year old wing, and it makes sense. Even Richardson’s numbers last season seem to parallel Butler’s when he was 24-years old. And yes, we know their career trajectories aren’t linear but it still seems important to note.

As we do below:

Jimmy Butler (24-years old): 13.1 points per game, 39.7/28.3/76.9 percents from field goal/three/free throw, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, starting 67 games and averaging 38.7 minutes per game.

Josh Richardson (24-years old): 12.9 points per game, 45.1/37.8/84.5 percents from field goal/three/free throw, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.9 blocks, starting 81 games and averaging 33.2 minutes per game.

The two wings are a bit different in size, with Butler being measured around 6’8″ and weighing in at 230 lb’s and Josh Richardson measuring out at 6’6″ weighing in at 205 lb’s, but in reality the two players don’t look all that different in style when comparing them at similar ages.

And again, we’ll state that Jimmy Butler’s career has been anything but easy to track, but Josh Richardson’s career has arguably been on that same trajectory. Both had doubts in their drafts about their offensive abilities and both seem to play with fierce aggression and extreme hustle on both sides of the ball.

If this is truly the wing that Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden desire in a trade for Jimmy Butler, then we should all be in on this deal rather than a few veterans and a draft pick from another team.

If you think you’d like a better wing than Richardson, like maybe Khris Middleton, then think again. Milwaukee was rumored to have declined a trade that would swap Butler and Middleton, meaning teams aren’t too high on Butler at the moment and a player like Richardson makes more sense.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN confirms the probable trade packages that Minnesota desires below:

"Via, ESPN “Minnesota’s preferences in a Miami deal have included center Bam Adebayo, guard Josh Richardson and a protected 2019 first-round pick, league sources said. A trade could take on a larger construction to include more players, league sources said. In any Butler deal, Minnesota has wanted to unload center Gorgui Dieng and the $48 million left on his contract. Timberwolves executives told other interested teams in the past 24 hours that they didn’t have any offers that met the franchise’s criteria to honor Butler’s trade request and planned to hold on to him until a deal met their requirements, league sources said.”"

Two things have to happen here to make this deal for Miami, according to numerous sources, get Bam Adebayo out of this deal (Miami loves Bam) and make Gorgui Dieng’s contract disappear on another roster that isn’t Miami’s.

And that’s considering the idea that Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra are even willing to give up Josh Richardson when all the work that both parties have put in to make J-Rich a cornerstone of that franchise’s culture.

Oh, and by the way, Woj’s sources from that quote above also state that Butler’s wrist is still bothering him from surgery this past season, so don’t expect any trade packages close to Adebayo and Richardson.

We’ve written numerous trade ideas between Miami and Minnesota on this site for the past few weeks, and we’re hoping these next three ideas can be our last.

Here we go.