NBA: Winners and losers from the Jimmy Butler trade
Philadelphia have made a thunderous splash in the trade pool with their unexpected acquisition of Jimmy Butler from Minnesota two days ago. The 76ers swung for the fences to land the four-time all-star; Philly exchanged Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless and a future second-round pick to acquire Butler along with Justin Patton from Minnesota.
Butler's exit comes several weeks after a public trade request away from Minnesota, largely due to clashes with star players Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
The situation in Minnesota had become ugly when Butler reportedly requested a trade in mid-September, and it worsened when he refused to report to training camp. The ongoing drama reached its pinnacle when Butler finally did report for pre-season training, only to team up with the third-stringers to take down his fellow starters in dominant fashion.
Towns and Wiggins were the targets of his continuous emotional trash talk, while he barked towards anyone who would listen that the team needed him. Following the practice - which will rank as one of the all-time greatest unseen NBA practices along with the Dream Team in Monte Carlo, Gilbert Arenas pulling a gun from his locker, and dozens of others - he had arranged a televised sit-down interview with Rachel Nichols, host of ESPN's The Jump,primarily to talk about the practice.
Butler arranged to discuss this polarising practice before it had even happened; was he that confident he could wipe the floor with Towns, Wiggins, and the starters? He spoke honestly with Nichols about the situation from his point of view, and declared that he didn't think the relationship would be fixed with the Wolves.
The 76ers are the clear winners of the trade even though Butler isn't signed on past this season, but who are the other winners and losers after a trade which has created a ripple effect on the entire league?