Trade talks between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat, that would have sent Jimmy Butler to Miami, fell apart over the weekend. The deal reportedly was all but done, with Butler’s medical infomation being sent to Miami, before inexplicably collapsing.
Rumors are that the Timberwolves wanted more for the 29-year-old All-Star. According to our Timberwolves insider, it was Tom Thibodeau, who once again sabotaged the deal.
Glen Taylor has told GM Scott Layden that Butler needs to be Traded. This is because Karl Anthony Towns told him it was him or Butler, and that the big contact means they are committed to Towns, Butler has to be gone. Layden then went to Miami and got a deal done for Richardson and filler and a protected pick for Butler. Thibs is technically Laydens’s boss and torpedoed the whole deal by telling Pat Riley it’s off the table. And, instead of saying that the Wolves are incompetent, the Heat people leaked stuff about Thibs asking for the moon and more in a deal, when in reality, the Wolves are just being jackasses and not and answering the phone or tanking a deal that has tentatively agreed upon with medical info exchanged, and with people held out of lineups.
The source then added that one of the teams wants to dump a big contract as part of the deal and that Sacramento could possibly be involved. But the dumping of the contract could mean that wait until December for a trade.
Now the hold up is over who gets to send a big contract (wolves dump Dieng, Heat dump Whiteside) to Sacramento. The teams may be waiting until December, when teams that sign other players over the summer can trade their salaries.
If that’s the case Butler, who needs wrist surgery could have the surgery and be out until December when a deal could be done.
However, if the teams do wait until. December, Jimmy does need wrist surgery, and could have elected surgery on it that would keep him out of the locker room until then. It is believed the heat will eventually make the deal for Jimmy because they really want him and they can only get him via trade based on their cap stipulations.
Either way it sounds like the Timberwolves will eventually part ways with Butler, unless Thibs keeps sabotaging potential deals and trying to force everyone to play together. Which is a terrible idea.
