The contract of Jimmy Butler with Minnesota Timberwolves is already in its final year and the attention its getting will only be intensified these coming days.
According to The Bleacher Report, Jon Krawczynski (The Athletic) reported on Saturday that Butler is set to meet with President Tom Thibodeau and his team's head coach. They will allegedly discuss whether they still have a future in heading towards the same direction, in light of the status for Butler's contract.
Along with this news, there was a tension with All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns during the process. Talking about Thibodeau, he is known for having a win-now attitude. He and Butler have a history together as well and lesser are the chances Timberwolves will trade the latter before the season begins. The above-mentioned source revealed that Thibodeau coached Butler with Chicago Bulls during the first four years of his career.
However, if he is not going to resign until the trade deadline on February, they will have no other option but to move the 29-year-old. After all, the all-star status of Jimmy Butler and his two-way impact will catch the attention of many teams that could be interested in his services. A lot of offers can definitely be placed together for him.
NBA 2018-2019 Season
Moreover, the 2018-2019 NBA season will be one month away and the attention is already heading towards 2019. According to Daily Knicks, Kyrie Irving is already at the top of New York Knick's list in July's free agency. The source revealed that he is hardly the big time player on the open market.
As mentioned earlier, Durant, Thompson, and Leonard are set to hit the free agency too. With over $30 million available, these three can fit into the salary cap of New York Knick. Butler, on the other hand, has one year left in his contract and some reports predict that his potential landing spot is the Knicks.
Minnesota is indeed in an interesting spot because the news occurred weeks before the training camp. While this does not mean a trade will happen, if Butler has no intention of staying after the 2018-19 season, a preseason transaction could possibly happen. Knicks sure have a lot to spend and the report emphasized there only eight contracts on the 2019-20 payroll.
Furthermore, it is safe to say waiting is the best option than to unload the assets now. As for the New York Knicks assets, the team's roster does not have a win-now look. With the status of Kristaps Porzingis' knee still unknown, this is more likely a lost season.
