Stay healthy
If there was one knock against playing hard, it’s sacrificing the possibility of getting injured. There might not be a harder working guy in the NBA than Butler. However, this has caused a lot of injuries throughout his career.
Butler has only played a full seasons length once in his career (82 games). That was back during his sophomore year in 2012-13. At that time he was still trying to figure out the NBA. However, he only logged 26.0 minutes per game and started 20 of those 82 games.
Once he finally played on a consistent basis, Butler has been known to find himself on the sideline recovering from an injury. Since the 2012-13 season, Butler has seen himself play somewhere between 59-to-76 games – only hitting over 70 games once in that span.
Last season with the Timberwolves, he played in 59 games. This was largely due to him tearing his meniscus. While it’s hard to knock him for playing hard, Minnesota does need to be cautious in how he handles his body.
The last thing the Wolves need is for Butler to sustain a serious injury that causes the team to have trouble trading him. Any team will be hesitant to give him the max-extension if he continues to get injured.
Minnesota has eased Butler back into things by playing him in shorter stints and giving him the game off against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Wolves obviously look better with him on the court. But in order for the team to look into the idea of trading him, they’ll need to make sure he’s healthy. He doesn’t have the best track record with injuries, but as long as the team plays it safe, they’ll be increasing his trade value.
Our next one is a little more personal.