Despite not being on his initial list of preferred teams when he first requested a trade out of Minnesota, the Miami Heat have now become Jimmy Butler‘s preferred landing spot, the New York Times’ Marc Stein reports.
The disgruntled Timberwolves star requested a trade from the team before the start of training camp, reportedly naming the Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks as his first choices initially.
Butler doesn’t have a no-trade clause on his current contract, so Minnesota can technically trade him anywhere they’d like.
However, there’s the added complication that Butler will likely opt of of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Last season, Butler averaged 22.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 59 games played for Minnesota in a season that saw him undergo meniscus surgery for an injury in his right knee.
He first came to Minnesota in a June 2017 trade from the Chicago Bulls. His reunion with Timberwolves president and head coach Tom Thibodeau was supposed to be a joyous one, but rumours that Butler was unhappy with Andrew Wiggins’ and Karl-Anthony Towns’ work ethic reportedly angered Butler and led to him requesting to be traded.
If he were to land with the Heat, Butler would join a team that features a young talented big man in Hassan Whiteside, a former All-NBA point guard in Goran Dragic and he would likely be viewed as the successor to surefire hall-of-fame guard Dwyane Wade, who is making this season his last.
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