The Minnesota Timberwolves are struggling after reaching the conference finals in 2024. The Karl-Anthony Towns trade has not worked, and the franchise may need to remove Julius Randle from their starting five. There have been rumblings about trading the former All-Star, but that won’t be easy with so many teams facing financial restrictions.
Minnesota is just 0.5 game ahead of the Suns in 11th in the crowded Western Conference. They struggle to score points and no longer have an elite defense. The Timberwolves should shake things up before the deadline. Tim Connelly is not afraid to be bold, but the newest rumors came as a shock.
Marc Stein dropped his latest notes on Sunday where he mentioned the Wolves as a team expressing interest in being part of the Jimmy Butler trade. Fans know the history, but it may not be what they think.
Timberwolves could help facilitate Jimmy Butler trade
The Butler soap opera takes a new turn almost daily with less than three weeks remaining until the trade deadline. He is back playing after a seven-game suspension, but both sides would prefer to find a trade before Feb. 6. Jimmy Buckets won’t stay in Miami, but making a deal isn’t easy.
Butler is making $48.8 million this season and has a $52.4 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. Finding a way to offload that money is difficult in the second apron era. It has teams lining up to get involved with the hopes of benefitting handsomely from facilitating the trade.
Stein mentioned Minnesota as among that group. He noted the Timberwolves do not want to bring back Butler, but they could be one of multiple teams involved in getting him off the Heat. Fans should not fret about another epic practice rant or trade demand from Butler on the Timberwolves, but Connelly will try to be opportunistic in a potential move.
It is no secret that Minnesota wants to move on from Julius Randle. Things just have not worked, and the Wolves are better with Naz Reid playing next to Rudy Gobert. Randle’s $33 million salary could play a key role in getting a Butler deal done. The Timberwolves would have to get creative, but this could be their chance to jump back into serious contention in the Western Conference.
Jimmy Butler may finally help the Minnesota Timberwolves a more than a half-decade after making them a laughingstock. Fans will never forgive Jimmy Buckets for the way he exited the franchise, but him helping them get back into the race in 2025 would ease the pain. It may happen if the latest rumors prove true. Stay tuned to find out.