NBA: Top 5 Landing Spots for Jimmy Butler
Let's be honest, no one truly knows what is going on regarding Minnesota Timberwolves' shooting guard Jimmy Butler. From the internal conflicts with players including Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, to the issues with head coach Tom Thibodeau, if he is not traded before the trade deadline, it would be a shocker.
While Butler won't be a free-agent until 2020 he has a player option in 2019. At the same time, it's in the best interest of the Timberwolves to trade him rather than have him leave through free agency, as they traded quite a bit to the Chicago Bulls in 2017.
Butler was picked 30th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and played 6 seasons for them. He was traded out during a time where the Bulls were starting to rebuild their roster and coaching team, as well as getting rid of the tensions between some teammates.
In his first season with the Timberwolves, he played just 59 games as he suffered a meniscus injury and was out indefinitely. However, he did return before the start of the playoffs and played 5 games. He is a 4x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA Third Team, 4x NBA All-Defensive Second Team, and NBA's Most Improved Player in 2015.
Butler is considered one of the best players in the game, both offensively and defensively. It shouldn't be hard for him to find a team willing to trade for him and give him a contract he is looking for.
Here are the top 5 landing spots for Butler, in no specific order.
Los Angeles Clippers
The L.A. Clippers have seen multiple stars depart, which includes point guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, power forward Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons, and DeAndre Jordan to the Dallas Mavericks. At this point, the Clippers are in need of a star player on their roster in order to compete in an already crowded Western Division.
With Butler on the Clippers, head coach Doc Rivers will have someone he can depend on during all games (provided he stays healthy moving forward). The Clippers also have cap space to give Butler the money he is looking for. While it may take a while for the Clippers to be a real threat in the league, they definitely have players that can be of great support to Butler.
Players like point guard Lou Williams and Patrick Beverly, who have been in the league for quite some time, could help pull Butler to the Clippers.