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The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly tried to acquire Jimmy Butler from the Minnesota Timberwolves at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
The Timberwolves ended up trading Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jerryd Bayless, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and a 2022 second-round pick on Nov. 12:
A source familiar with the three-hour meeting James had at his home with Johnson on the eve of his free-agency decision told ESPN that Davis' name never came up when the two discussed future plans. But when the Lakers signed Rondo, Stephenson, Beasley, et al. to one-year contracts after George stuck with the Thunder, the message was clear: L.A. was hell-bent on pairing LeBron with a max-level free agent in the summer of 2019 — with the possibility to upgrade the roster via a trade even before that.
L.A., sources said, was one of several teams to inquire about Jimmy Butler before the swingman was traded to Philadelphia, for instance.
The Lakers didn't sign Paul George in the summer of 2018, as the All-Star re-signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Los Angeles also didn't trade for Kawhi Leonard. The San Antonio Spurs sent the two-time Defensive Player of the Year to the Toronto Raptors.
Desperate to get another star alongside LeBron James, the Lakers tried to trade for Anthony Davis at the February trade deadline, but failed in that attempt as well.
So, if you're counting at home, Los Angeles went 0-4 in trying to get another star player to pair with James. The Lakers will try again this summer.
