The Wolves are among a host of teams willing to facilitate a Jimmy Butler trade, per NBA insider Marc Stein in his latest Substack.
Minnesota has no interest in actually acquiring Butler, but rather play a smaller part that possibly helps improve its depth options.
According to Stein, nearly half the league has reached out to the Miami Heat to express their desire to be involved as a third party that helps salaries work but not to directly acquire Butler.
During the 2018-19 season, Butler infamously forced a trade out of Minnesota and ultimately to Philadelphia by behaving in a truly unprofessional manner.
Other Teams In Mix To Facilitate?
The Toronto Raptors have also reportedly reached out to the Heat and confirmed their interest in being involved.
Among the most tradable players are Bruce Brown and Chris Boucher, though Kelly Olynyk and Davion Mitchell are other names that have been mentioned in other rumors.
Brown makes approximately $23M, Boucher is at about $10M, Mitchell $6.4M, and Olynyk $12.8M.
As a team, the Raptors are $10.2M under the tax and so have the bandwith to match salaries.
The Detroit Pistons are another team well positioned to be a facilitator for a deal involving Butler or any high salary deal that needs additional teams involved.
Charlotte proved a good match for the Phoenix Suns addressing its need at center as well as reducing its tax payments, and the Hornets could again emerge as a wheel greaser in a bigger deal.
Butler Deal Still Presents Challenges
As much as both the Heat and Butler would like to move forward, a deal that appeases both sides is believed to be “challenging in the extreme.”
Miami’s initial hope was to have a deal completed prior to the end of Butler’s seven-game suspension that coincided with the Heat’s road trip. With that having passed and Butler back in the starting lineup, the concern is that things could get very ugly over the next 17 days before the trade deadline.
It’s possible Phoenix’s interest has waned after the acquisition of Nick Richards from the Hornets, while the Bucks are also rumored to be more interested in Bradley Beal than Butler.
Interestingly, though, Stein reports that Milwaukee has not been discouraged from making a play for Butler the way Memphis has.
The Bucks’ ability to do so will come down to trading Pat Connaughton’s $9.4M salary without taking salary back in return to dodge second apron restrictions.
