The Miami Heat were aggressively trying to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The two teams even got really close to a deal being made, until Timberwolves head coach and president Tom Thibodeau got a little greedy.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, there was a $5 million reason why the Heat and Timberwolves were unable to agree upon a trade for Jimmy Butler.
I'm told that Minnesota's talks with the Heat largely collapsed when Thibodeau asked for a $5 million cash infusion from Miami as part of a deal that would have sent Josh Richardson, Kelly Olynyk and a future first-rounder to the Wolves for Jimmy Butler.
After two months of drama, the Timberwolves finally put an end to the Butler trade saga by sending the disgruntled swingman to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for forwards Robert Covington and Dario Saric, point guard Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second-round pick.
When Butler initially requested his trade, the four-time All-Star reportedly had the Heat as his preferred destination. Thibodeau and Timberwolves general manager Scott Layden had a bunch of discussions with Miami president Pat Riley. In the end, Thibodeau's $5 million request was something Riley and the Heat weren't willing to give up.
Josh Richardson is having a great start to the season. He's one of the top early candidates for the Most Improved Player of the Year award. While Covington and Saric are good shooters, the Timberwolves might regret not being able to acquire Richardson.
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