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

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – NOVEMBER 24: Udonis Haslem #40 of the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talk before the game on November 24, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Moving away from the trade idea that Woj proposed with center Bam Adebayo, we have a more realistic take with a 3-team transaction that can make all sides eager to begin the season.

The obvious loser of the trade looks like the Sacramento Kings at first glance, but since trading DeMarcus Cousins and now finding out that Willie Cauley-Stein is playing this season for a big pay check this summer, the Kings need to make moves for future draft picks or assets ASAP.

Most of Sacramento’s picks over the next few seasons have been traded, so getting prepared for the next 3-4 seasons makes more sense then to just hope for the 8th or 9th seed in the Western Conference.

In this deal the Kings would get two second round picks from Miami and Minnesota and they also get a guaranteed center (Dieng) over the next few years in case they don’t want to give Cauley-Stein the big bucks (and no one will blame you if you don’t sign that check).

Miami obviously gets Jimmy Butler in this deal which cements Spo’s fantasy in South Florida for the biggest hustle squad in the NBA, you can just imagine Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson diving for basketballs and Butler running up court for the fast break pass/dunk.

The Butler pairing in Miami seems like a match made in heaven.

Moreover, Minnesota gets their young stud in Josh Richardson, who’ll likely pair up nicely next to the other young studs in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Dion Waiters contract is not great, but having a scorer off the bench now that Jamal Crawford is out of Minny makes a lot of sense for the next few seasons.

So essentially the Timberwolves lose a terrible contract in Dieng to a bad contract in Waiters and downgrade Butler to Richardson, then snagging Kosta Koufos for a year rental and getting a protected first in 2019 which will most likely be around pick no. 20.

If you think this seems like a bad haul for Minnesota, you’re not wrong, but the front office has done this to themselves and it’s still better than Jimmy sitting on the bench for the remainder of the year.

Although, we may have better deals in the next two …