Jimmy Butler traded to the Portland Trailblazers
The Portland Trail Blazers are 6-2 and arguably have the second or third best offense in the league in almost every statistical category you can think of, so why not add Jimmy Butler at the wing?
While most fans would expect C.J. McCollum in a deal that includes Butler, I can’t fathom why the Blazers do that.
McCollum is on a solid contract for his talent and is a legit fan favorite/league favorite player.
Moreover, C.J. is just too valuable in other facets besides basketball; if your the Blazers and can move players and picks for Butler that don’t have the last name of Lillard and McCollum, you immediately make those moves.
I should point out that the Wolves only make a deal like this if everything falls apart leading up to the trade deadline on February 7th, 2019.
The Wolves get point-forward Evan Turner (terrible contract) and a solid shooting/defending wing in Al-Farouq Aminu. While both players are pretty all around guys (albeit Turner from downtown), there will probably be another asset thrown in here to make it realistic that I couldn’t do from a Portland perspective – because they love their guys.
For example, I can’t see the Blazers falling in love with Butler and adding their 20-year-old Zach Collins in this deal, but it would obviously be worth it – so it’s tough.
Ultimately, the Wolves will be battling the Blazers to get into the playoffs. And as I’ve said before, you most likely want to deal Butler to the East, so this deal would only be done if it was a last second ditch effort.